Subliminal
by YumiKitten
Summary: Akiyama Sadashi has no special talents when it comes to sports. She's a pianist, however, and has been since she was young. Tsukishima Kei doesn't know what to do with her when he finds out she lives across the street from him, the girl whom he can't seem to fully grasp. Tsukishima x OC
1. Tongue Clicks

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Haikyuu. I only own the text and Akiyama Sadashi.**_

He sat at his desk looking aimlessly around his room, nothing sparking his interest. Even his headphones were sitting around his neck not in use. He leaned his head on his hand, bored. Sighing, he noticed a moving truck across the street. Even though it was stupid to wish someone wouldn't move into the vacant house, he knew it was only a matter of time.

"Tsk." He rolled his eyes, still staring at the new family he'd be keeping away from. More people he didn't want to deal with, and no doubt his mother would soon swoon over them to make them feel welcome. _Troublesome_ he thought. That's when he saw a blonde girl grab a few boxes from their car, a wide grin on her face. It couldn't get any worse now, knowing there was going to be an annoying female across the way.

It was true, he didn't know if she was annoying or not. It was just safer to assume she was so he could have more reason to stay away.

* * *

It was a new school day, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi sitting in their normal seats till an unknown student walked in with her head held high. She looked like he had seen her before, but it wasn't like he paid too close attention to anyone. Her hair was mid-length, blonde. It was draped over her shoulders, just a few inches past her collarbone.

"Hello, my name Akiyama Sadashi, and I'll be joining your class from today on." She said sweetly, her gaze going across everyone before the teacher told her to sit behind Yamaguchi. "Hi." She said to him, Yamaguchi's eyes growing as he greeted her. She held a wide grin, her blue eyes shining genuinely to the freckled boy.

"Ah yes, another girl to make her presence known." Tsukishima mumbled to her, snickering. He cocked his head to the side to see her reaction.

"Oh look, another boy thinking he can crack jokes to the new girl." Her tone was as dead as his, Yamaguchi trying to hold his laughter from his friend. Tsukishima shot him a glare before adjusting himself in his seat. He surely wasn't expecting her to snap back at him. There wasn't anyone who really snapped back at him like that. None that it bothered him, anyway.

Sadashi could remember him like yesterday, other than how much taller he's gotten. His eyes were still as cold as they were then, with the little warmth they showed her on that first day. It seemed like he was still as sarcastic as ever too, but she knew she could wiggle past that. Too bad he didn't have any recollection of her. She stopped wearing glasses, though only out in public, and she did cut her hair a considerable amount, but did that make such a huge difference that they didn't recognize her?

When class had ended for lunch, Akiyama noticed the two boys leaving, soon getting out of her chair abruptly to stop them. "Hey, so I'm new and don't exactly have anyone to hang out with yet. Would yo-"

"It just so happens we're not a welcoming committee." Tsukishima shot to her, cutting her off short. His smile was typically one full of arrogance, which she took note of.

"I was asking, but now I'm telling." She smiled at him, Tsukishima glaring at her and sighing. They watched her grab her things Yamaguchi mouthing, "Would it really kill us?"

"Tsk. Whatever." He strolled out of the class first, putting his headphones around his neck.

"So what's your name?" There she goes, asking questions already. Too bad she already knew them.

"I'm Yamaguchi Tadashi." The freckled boy said, sending her a warm smile. He was still as she remembered, too. He was a little taller, but not by much. Maybe his hair grew out too. The taller blond didn't say anything, his hands in his pockets.

Akiyama skipped in front of him, then started walking backwards as she held her hands behind her back. Her hair bounced around her shoulders as he attempted to move around her. Still, they kept walking.

"And you are?" He couldn't deny her eyes were pretty, but he also couldn't deny she wasn't just as annoying as everyone else.

"Someone who could easily trip you right now." He scoffed, but she continued to smile up at him. He put his foot out to hers, trying to step on it. She evaded it easily. He tried again with his next step, but she evaded it. Again. "Do you like pestering people?"

"Do you like being an arrogant jerk who won't even give his name to a new student?" The small group stopped, Tsukishima rolling his eyes as her smile pierced through him. Where had he seen her before?

"Tsukishima Kei. I'm hungry." Yamaguchi watched as she moved out of his way and followed in his step beside him. His expression was normal, but it was the way Tsukishima let her talk to him like that that Yamaguchi noticed. There had only been one other person whom he let talk to him like this, but she was long gone. He shook the thought out of his mind an caught up to the two.

* * *

Tsukishima parted from Yamaguchi at their usual spot, pulling his headphones on without playing any music. He didn't want to be disturbed with his thoughts, and that meant with everything. That girl, Akiyama. He couldn't give her his normal attitude after she shot him down time after time. With everything he said, she had something to say too. He was used to infuriating everyone, not the other way around. Not like this, at least.

He was just about to cross the street to his house when he heard faint piano notes wafting through his headphones. Sliding them down, he heard it more clearly, bring his attention to the house with its new tenants. The window was partially open, the girl he saw yesterday playing it beautifully.

Too bad he still wanted nothing to do with whomever was in that house. Nothing good came from most people, and he could hold that as true. No matter how nice they appeared to be, or what family they come from, something could still fall short of expectations. Look at his brother for instance. That was the best example that he could think of. There was no way in hell he'd want to go through what his brother went through. It was easier this way, anyway.

"I'm home." He said to no one in particular, taking his shoes off before retreating upstairs. Once in his room, he sluggishly sat at his desk ready to do homework, looking out his window to where he had heard the piano playing. Much to anyone's surprise, Tsukishima enjoyed listening to classical music, though he wouldn't admit it to anyone on his volleyball team. Or anyone ever.

A knock came from downstairs, knowing he couldn't act like no one was home. Reluctantly, he got up from his desk and wandered downstairs to answer it. Who could it be? It's almost nine, and he couldn't be trifled with such things this late. He opened the door, shock burning up to his ears.

"Tsukishima?" Akiyama stood in front of him, her hair braided to the side. "I hadn't realized you lived here."

He frowned at the girl, not amused by her sudden visit. "So you've resorted to stalking?" He snickered at her, crossing his arms with his usual teasing smile.

"Is that something you'd like? I'm sure it could be arranged." She retorted, crossing her arms as well, her smile still playing between her cheeks. His cheeks went a little pink this time, but he pushed it down in the next second.

"What do you want?" It was then he gave up on trying to out-play her. It was too much effort at this point. To him, it was irritating how nothing she said affected her like it did others. He didn't enjoy the comebacks as much as he did with riling them up.

"My mom sent me over to ask if you and your family would like to come over for dinner some night this week." Her fingers found the end of her braid and twisted it.

"Since it's only me right now, I'm saying no." She still smiled up at the boy, her gaze steady. He could feel his ears grow hot with the way her eyes were on him.

"I'll let her know Saturday is a perfect night, then." Doesn't she ever give up? Doesn't she know she's annoying?

"So, what. You live across the way?" Not that he was interested, but it just had to be her of all people to move in? _Troublesome_ , he thought once again.

"Just moved in, in fact." Akiyama giggled, unsure of what else to say. He's being surprisingly nice, as opposed to his attitude earlier at school.

" _Wonderful_." His voice dripped with sarcasm as he shifted his weight from one foot to the next.

"Tsk. Of course it is, it's me." She played, her smile becoming brighter. Was it possible? Why? Go away already.

"Tsk. And you are annoying." Now he was trying to step it up. Maybe she'll leave if he fought back a little harder.

"Tsk. And you're stupid if you think I'll leave you alone." Her tone was still light, still full of interest. How can she keep this up with that face? Even Tsukishima couldn't give a light face when he was teasing someone. Not that kindly, anyway. She didn't seem like the person to tease anyone.

"Is that all, or can you leave now?" With a deadpan expression, he held the door, ready to close it.

"Fiiiine, I guess I'll see you in the morning then! Bye! Green Bean-kun!" Akiyama started to leave, waving when she made it to his gate.

"Don't call me that." He called out loud enough for her to hear.

"Fine, then bye Kei-kun!" She yelled back, now across the street. Judging by her expression, she wasn't going to budge. He sighed, pleased he could finally close his door and shut the world out.

"Green Bean? What the hell does that have to do with anything." Muttering, he grabbed a glass of water before retreating to his room once more.

* * *

Akiyama walked into her house, quickly telling her mother the Tsukishima family would be over for dinner Saturday evening. Her feet finally made their way back to the piano as her hands set to work on a new piece entirely.

 _Why does he still push people out like that,_ she thought as her fingers tapped on her ivory keys. He hasn't changed a bit. She had only known him a short time before she transferred out of their junior high, but did he really not remember her? How much he saved her that day? How much it meant to her?

She found herself pausing, looking out the window to the Tsukishima residence. The lights were on, but what took her attention was the window upstairs that seemed to mirror her own. That's when she saw the boy working on probably homework. He was still cute, she thought. Tall - very tall - with blond hair still much like her own. What really stuck in her mind was his honey-colored eyes, even though they were trained to be bored and sarcastic. They weren't _that_ day though, no. There was something in them when they first met all those months ago.

"Jeez, Green Bean. Help a girl out." She laughed to herself, bringing her mind back to the music in front of her. _Even the stupid nickname didn't ring a bell to him, huh?_ Her heart still beat faster when she saw him, that was for sure. In her own little mind, what was missing from her life was him.

She let the melody fill the room as she closed her mind for the night. She was done deep thinking for the day.


	2. Heavy Sighs

Sadashi waited for Tsukishima, patiently sighing for him to hurry up. Did he really leave this late every day? She didn't want to get to school late, but she couldn't think of the possibility of walking alone. Never would she walk alone to somewhere again.

 _She was walking home from school, careful not to trip on anything as she did so. It had just started raining, pulling her umbrella out from her bag. She began to hum to herself when she saw a group of students under the bus stop, keeping shelter. One of them was in her class, but Sadashi kept walking._

 _"Hey." The girl said, but she continued to walk away from the group. In her experience, they were only trouble. "I'm talking to you." She yelled at her._

 _"What?" She answered back, annoyed with herself. She should have kept walking._

 _"Give me your umbrella." The girl said simply, the others talking to themselves._

 _"No, you should have brought your own." Sadashi retorted, and it was true. If they were smart, they'd have looked up the forecast and could have been more prepared._

 _"I didn't ask." She said, her hands falling into fists at her sides._

 _"And I still didn't say yes." That's when she turned to leave, knowing she shouldn't have spoken back. Little did she know, it'd cause problems for her. The girl grabbed her arm, ripping the umbrella our of her hand and hitting Sadashi with it. Another kid tripped her, making her fall into a puddle. Another kicked her, while the girl still hit her repeatedly with the umbrella. One of the prongs on the end cut her cheek, blood slowly trickling with the salt water of her tears and the rain._

 _"Maybe you should have listened." The girl said, giving her one final blow to the face before two boys walked up and stopped the commotion._

 _"Oi. Is that anyway to treat a lady?" The tall blond said as he nudged his freckled friend to help her up. "Pathetic."_

 _"I'm a lady." The girl insisted, walking closer to the tall blond._

 _"Does a lady normally steal and abuse other ladies?" His tone was dark, sinister almost. "You'd best run along before what's been done to her is done with you." The freckled boy helped her up, her body sore and ultimately wet from the rain and the puddle she fell into._

 _"Do you normally hit ladies?" The girl said, truly testing the boy now._

 _"Only when it's self-defense." He said, his smile growing darker. The boy knew she'd get angry enough to mess with him, too. But hopefully she'd be smart enough and know she couldn't win. Before anything else could happen, she dropped the umbrella and ran, her friends following along._

 _"Are you alright?" The freckled boy asked, sitting her down on the bench. Her body ached, she could feel her face swell a little, but she was relieved nothing more had been done. And all of it was over a stupid umbrella._

 _"Better, now. Thanks." She said, starting to cry more._

 _"If you're better, than you shouldn't be crying." The taller one said, pocketing his hands, but standing close to her. "I'm Tsukishima Kei, and this is Yamaguchi Tadashi." He said, trying not to take interest in her. They way her blue eyes glowed, he felt sorry for her. He felt that he should have found her sooner, that maybe she wouldn't have been hurt as badly as she was. Her hair was to her ribs, dirt mixed in with the knotted blonde strands. There was even a bruise forming on her face._

 _"I'm Akiyama Sadashi. It's a pleasure."_

She heard his front door open, his face going blank as it shut behind him. Her thoughts were completely erased as she sighed in relief once more.

"Green Bean!" She smiled happily, waving her hand at him and letting her thoughts dissipate. Why was she calling him 'Green Bean'? It didn't make any sense to him, but it was better than 'Kei-kun'. Or so he hoped. It was too embarrassing for her to say his first name, though he wouldn't admit it. It was the way she said it more than anything.

"You're stalking me. It's official." His tone was monotonous as he exited his property, not waiting for her to catch up. Though she had short legs, she was right next to him perfectly fine.

"No, just merely waiting for you to walk to school with." She shrugged, glancing at his headphones. "What are you listening to?"

"Yamaguchi and I walk to school together, and nothing. Obviously." He looked straight ahead, not making eye contact with her. Now it was too much. Not only was she in the same class and demanded to hang around him and his friend, but she lives across the street and demands to walk to school together.

"So, what. You're limited to one person to walk with?" Her tone was light, leaving his other comment alone for now. She watched him roll his eyes before glancing down at her. She was cute, but still annoying. She was almost a foot shorter than he was, not like it was a surprise. He was taller than most.

"If I need to make a limit, then yes. And you're going to exceed that limit soon." Sighing, he saw Yamaguchi and gave him an acknowledged nod before his friend could look between them quick enough.

"Actually, he just exceeded the limit, since I was here first. Oh, and morning Yamaguchi!" She beamed her smile at him before turning her attention back to Tsukishima.

"Morning?" He replied questionably, waiting for some sort of explanation from his best friend. He got none, but knew he'd get one later when Tsukishima would complain to him later on in the day.

Tsukishima sighed again, making a mental note that he just made a record of how many times he's sighed in the morning alone. What else could she possibly want to talk about? And why to him?

Yamaguchi stayed quiet, peering at the girl whom he swore he had seen before. There was something about her that screamed he knew her. Her attitude, her appearance. He knew her somehow, but couldn't remember. Maybe I'm imagining things, he finally settled on.

* * *

The bell rang out for the day, the two boys standing up as she gathered her things.

"Ready?" She beamed, her bag hung over her shoulder as Tsukishima laughed to himself.

"Sorry, but we can't escort you home. Looks like the princess will have to fend for herself." He teased, beginning to walk away.

"We have volleyball right now." Yamaguchi confirmed, waving a quick goodbye before following his friend. He felt bad, but she could deal, right?

"Then I'll just wait." She declared, catching up to them. "It'll be fun."

"I'll be sure a ball finds your-" Tsukishima started, but was interrupted.

"Face? I've heard it all before." She had, because whether he remembered it or not, he had said that to her more than a few times in middle school.

"Or I'll have someone else do it." Yamaguchi watched his friend shrug, giving up his minor attempts to tease and mock her. She took her win, walking beside the tall blond once more and trying to make conversation. Sadashi was persistent, which both boys were soon realizing. Again. Not that it mattered right now. She still wouldn't walk home alone again.

"Hyahhhh!" Sadashi's head turned towards the noise, the boys sighing and making their way to the club room to get ready. They knew where it came from without looking. She saw two other boys, one with a shaved head and the other with black hair with a small bleached spot.

"She's so cute!" The shorter of the two exclaimed loudly, grabbing his chest as though his heart would fly out.

"And she's with Tsukishima, of all people!" The other said, eyeing the blond as he made his way to the second level of the building.

"That's right, you have no idea what a girl following you feels like." Tsukki teased harshly, the other two ready to punch him. Just like little dogs, they were cute one minute then viscous the next.

"Why you-" They yelled, coming up short when another boy interrupted them with a glare and a dry smile to match. The aura around him was dark for a second, but soon changed when they calmed down.

"I don't already hear yelling, do I?" He questioned, the two turning their attitudes around completely and shaking their heads like they were innocent children. She thought they were pretty amusing, to say the least.

"And father has appeared." Sadashi heard Tsukki mutter to Yamaguchi, though that same boy heard also. His glare was soon on the other two boys, Tsukki's face not turning nearly as innocent as the others. He didn't seem to care, but he still respected the older boy.

She only knew as much as Green Bean and Yamaguchi taught her, but by the looks of this supposed 'fatherly figure', he was the captain. It was her gut feeling. More boys showed up, glancing at her questioningly before heading to the gym. She stood at the entrance, waiting for who she thought was the captain to let them in.

"I'm Samuwara Daichi, third year and captain of this team. I apologize earlier for Tanaka and Nishinoya." He bowed, recovering himself and smiling sheepishly at me.

"No, it's no bother. I'm Akiyama Sadashi, a first year. Would it be alright if I waited for Green Bean and Yamaguchi?" She gave him her signature smile, pointing to her two friends. Tsukki had his normal glare on as Yamaguchi laughed beside him.

"Did she just call Tsukki 'Green Bean'?" Tanaka laughed out, mocking his teammate with Nishinoya. "How manly of you!"

"Yet you both still have no nickname from any girl." He scoffed back, letting his gaze fall on Sadashi. "And stop calling me that."

"Alright, Kei-kun." She sung his name, the rest of the team starting to laugh. He blushed, but soon recovered himself. Besides, did he just use his nickname as a burn for the others?

"Tsk." She knew he was annoyed, but he didn't continue on the matter. The team gathered to run some laps, Sadashi taking a seat on the bench and waiting. When they got back, they were running through drills she once was forced to do with her two friends at the park so long ago. How many times that ball had hit her face, she was glad she wasn't participating in this practice.

"Hinata, you dumbass!" A raven-colored hair boy yelled at the shrimpy ginger. "Pay attention when you're swinging!"

"Guess the king isn't happy with the commoners today." Tsukishima said purposely to rile him up, the boy glaring at him.

"Kageyama! I can do it! Set for me!" Hinata yelled, not bothering with the previous comment. He seemed like a little spitfire, someone who'd never stop till he got what he wanted.

"It's about time to go anyway." Daichi said, looking around at his teammates then back at the duo. "All members." His look was stern, the boys looking haughtily away from the other.

* * *

The air was cool as the three friends walked home in a quiet chatter. Yamaguchi was telling his tale about his start to being a better pinch server. When he parted ways, Tsukishima glanced at Sadashi before speaking.

"You're eerily quiet today." He noted out loud, trying to get her to budge. "Alright, I give. What's wrong." He stopped in front of her, wondering to himself why he was even caring. He should love the fact she's not being her usual loud self.

Her eyes were darker than normal, but her mind was filled with far more items than she could handle at that moment. "Nothing, just a little tired." She lied, smiling at him before he gave up. "This is my stop, I suppose. See you tomorrow, Green Bean!"

"Yea, ok." He watched her skip to her front door before turning to walk to his own. Something is seriously up with that girl. I can't keep up. He thought. "I'm home." It was only a few minutes of restlessness before he got up and headed for outside. His feet automatically made their way to her house, but only till he heard the piano playing. Why does this feel...familiar? He sighed and looked around hoping no one would think he's weird. No one seemed to notice he was outside, and even he didn't understand why he was there. Tsukishima didn't like her expression from earlier. It was worse than her constantly talking.


	3. Star Talk

Tsukki laid on his bed with his headphones on, thinking of Sadashi of all things. When he saw her the day after her weird quiet moment, she seemed fine. Almost as if nothing was wrong. Somehow, he saw through it, but didn't say anything. The last time he tried to help, she turned him away with a white lie.

So now he laid there wondering why his afternoon was wasting away with thoughts of her. He was starting to annoy himself before he had noticed the time, knowing soon his family and him would be making their way across the street for dinner. _You brat._

Sadashi finished up her cleaning and set to work on a new piece she was composing. She felt _motivated_ when the time neared closer to Green Bean coming over, but as to why, she couldn't explain. The piece wasn't for him, or for anyone. It was something that just came to mind one night.

 _Wasn't it?_

She hardly heard the door bell ring as she wrote down the chords and pieced more to her little puzzle of music. Before she knew it, the Tsukishima family was staring at her, her fingers stopping and her eyes going wide of embarrassment. Little did she know, Tsukki's cheeks had turned red, and his eyes grew with shock and bewilderment.

"I'm so sorry!" She partially squealed, gathering her loose papers and quickly making a neater pile. "I'm Akiyama Sadashi. It's a pleasure to meet you." It was more for his parents, really. She had never met them before now.

"That name sounds oddly familiar.." His mother said before going off with her mother. _Did it? Maybe he talked about me?_

"This is the racket I hear." Tsukki said, sitting on the piano bench as his flushed face went back to normal. In reality, he enjoyed the thought of her playing. Even welcomed it, sometimes. Depending on the night, he'd keep his window open if their window was open just to hear her play. _Like I'll ever admit that_.

"It's better than bruises." She stuck her tongue out long enough for him to change his attitude. It was embarrassing, him seeing her play. He had never seen her play when they first met.

"Only if you're into that sort of thing." He grinned cheekily, earning a slap to the arm. He didn't mind it, though it'd have been more entertaining for her to continue with it. _Why am I thinking like this?_

"Sorry, I like the way my skin looks without them." Her cheeks flushed, but she pushed it down almost immediately. Now he was thinking of how her complexion was beyond beautiful. _What the fuck is wrong with me?_

"I guess it's ok." He rolled his eyes, burying his previous thoughts deep into his mind. Why was it suddenly ok to think of her in that way? Why was he even thinking of her at all? _She's annoying,_ he added mentally. _I shouldn't think of her like that._

"Like you'd know." She scoffed jokingly, grabbing her pages and filing them before sitting back into her chair. She kind of liked the conversation, but was kind of shy about this.

 _I think I want to._ "Like I'd want to." He retaliated, looking around to ease his mind. There were normal family pictures, some with other relatives he didn't know. One stuck out though, one when she was a little girl. Her hair was tied back with a light blue silk ribbon, and it looked like she was playing the piano. It was a candid shot, a beautiful still picture of her in her natural beauty. He admired her and her ability to focus with such a graceful expression. _I wonder if she can still look like that_.

"Pfft. Who knows, maybe you will one day." She said absentmindedly, his eyes growing and his ears going pink. She seemed normal enough, his attention going to her music.

"Doubtful. By the looks of it, your cup size-"

"Has grown since middle school, so that's hardly an excuse." Her words rolled off her tongue like water, but she still wasn't phased. What kind of game is she playing?

He changed the topic immediately, not wanting to discuss her breast size anymore. It was too much. Now wasn't the time to try and win a pointless battle. Not in her own domain.

"So do you do anything else but act like some princess?" His fingers were playing with the keys now, just randomly pushing one down at a time.

"And here I am, not married by my fourteenth birthday." Sadashi was being dramatic, her hand going over her head like some damsel in distress. "And no, actually. Sports, definitely not. Cooking, definitely yes."

"Do you have a dowry too?" She gave him a dull look, though he took no notice and smiled. She wasn't amused. Well, maybe a little.

"Why, are you in the market?" She countered, his eyes not meeting hers. He didn't know why he was saying any of this. This particular topic wasn't a game. This wasn't something he could aimlessly tease her about because it was more realistic.

"Not for a brat like you, Akiyama."

"Just call me Sadashi."

"No."

"Why? I call you Kei."

"Which I hate, by the way." Now his expression was emotionless. The thought of calling her Sadashi made him think of the earlier comment about her complexion. It was in the wrong direction, needless to say.

"You're a child." Tsukki watched as she was attempting to put her file on a high shelf, chuckling to himself. _She is so little. She can't even reach it._ Without her notice, he stood behind her, took the file, and placed it in the spot she was reaching for. When she backed up, her back was greeted with his chest. "Thanks." Her tone was even.

"I didn't realize how short you were till this moment." He sat back down, giving her his normal, annoying smirk. "Seems like you're the child, not asking for help."

"You just ruined the moment." She muttered and hoped he didn't hear her. Too bad he did. _I ruined a moment? What moment?_

"That's me, the breaker of dreams and special moments." He stated sarcastically, his eyes set on her. She wasn't phased like he wanted her to be. Without a doubt, he was intrigued though. Maybe she wasn't the normal level of annoying he dealt with everyday.

"Your future girlfriend will be so pleased." She exited the room temporarily, leaving Tsukki to ponder the situation. It could be worse, he decided. Then he noticed her phone sitting in the open space on the small table in front of him. Smirking, he grabbed it and hit the home button, shocked to see what her wallpaper was.

How did she get this? And why is it...me? His face grew hot with seeing the picture. Before asking anything more, he put his contact information, and just for a giggle, he put his name as Green Bean. He set the phone down once he received her number on his own, still thinking about the picture. _I was smiling, and I had my volleyball with me. But, that wasn't a Karasuno jersey I had on._

"Hey, dinner is ready." Sadashi called into the room as Tsukki flinched at the sudden noise. Should he comment on it? "Green Bean, dinner. Unless you want to starve?"

"Tsk." He followed her to the dining room where their parents already sat waiting. Sitting down, he noticed how her eyes were shining, and how her hair seemed like it would be the softest thing he'd ever feel. If he wanted, that was.

 _No, I'll just have fun with it._

* * *

Nighttime came fast, Tsukki's family leaving some time after desert was served. Sadashi was sure he would leave with his parents, giving some sort of excuse as to why he didn't want to be at her house any longer. To her surprise, he stayed. Truthfully, she was happy that he even came over for her family's little event.

"So, entertain me, woman." She ignored his 'woman' comment and froze. His height was somehow more noticeable to her now than it had ever been. Even with what happened earlier. For just a second, she felt little, insecure. On the other hand, she felt protected, safe.

Sadashi sighed, opening her back door and gesturing him to follow. After a few seconds, he complied. They were quiet, feeling the cool breeze as they sat down on her back porch. He let his feet dangle off the shallow ledge, leaning the rest of his body back on his hands. She hugged her legs to her chest, resting her chin on her knees. She was just enjoying the silence before he decided to speak up.

"You're being quiet again." He wasn't being mean, nor was he mocking her. Was this...concern? Was Tsukishima Kei concerned right now? Over her?

"Is that bad? Because I thought I was annoying when I talked." She was genuinely curious now. He was out of character, and that didn't normally happen. Sure, she had been away for a while, but it was rare to see the hidden sides of Kei. No one was ever lucky enough, and that includes Yamaguchi. He's had practice scouting out his various moods and what to do do and how to handle them.

"No, you're still annoying. You're just not your normal level of annoying. You being at such a low level is dissatisfying." His tone wasn't dripping with sarcasm, but he was making fun of her. To lighten the atmosphere? Her mood? Why?

"Um. Thanks?" She let her eyes drift to him, but she wasn't expecting him to have such a serious face on. One that said this-isn't-me-teasing-you-right-now. "I'm fine." It was a partial lie.

"See, I didn't ask if you were ok." Now he was teasing her, and by the looks of things, she took it to heart rather than take it as a joke like she normally did. "That's how I know you're not fine though. You didn't say anything back."

Sadashi kept looking at the sky, the stars appearing one by one. All her life she had wished to come across someone who would see her little quirks and do what was necessary for her to feel better. When she bit her lip, she wanted her attention to be regained somewhere else to stop. When she was quiet, she wanted someone to notice it wasn't normal and to make her feel better. When she felt anxious, she wanted a hug to cure her mind. Just the little things that others didn't notice. All except her.

Now, here sits a boy whom she likes, and he's found one of those little quirks of hers. He's noticed she wasn't fine, and was trying to help her. That wasn't normal. Most people would turn their cheek, but not him. Not the one who doesn't seem to care about anything.

"Are you expecting me to just share my thoughts to you?" She kept her tone light, but wanted an honest answer. She needed to know if it was really ok to just blurt out everything she hid. The seconds rolled to minutes, her heart keeping track just how long she had been waiting. Sadashi was about to tell him 'never mind', but he broke the silence, finally.

"With a limited time offer, yes." He was thankful for the dark, because his cheeks were on fire. His heart was beating wildly in his chest, unsure of what the feeling was. It was foreign and strange. It hurt one moment, but the pain didn't weigh him down. It lifted him up.

"But what if I told you I was some sort of serial killer?

"Then a serial killer lives across the street from me." He shrugged, letting his head roll to the side to see her more clearly.

Suddenly serious, she locked her gaze on his. "Or if I'm a cannibal?"

"Then I'd ask you politely not to eat me. Maybe Kageyama, though."

"Or if I abused small children?"

"It hardly effects me, my height and all."

She held a poker face, but internally, her body was blazing. She felt hotter now than she did in the middle of summer without a fan on. Kei laid down on the porch wood, his hands on his stomach. His face was pointed up to the sky. She followed suit, letting her body lay back and letting her eyes close.

He took the opportunity and viewed her in her natural state. Her hair was a blonde mess around her, but with the moon shining down on her locks, she looked like she could be from a fairy tale. Her skin was glowing, no blemishes or bruises-thankfully-and it looked as though if he touched her, she would turn to dust. He watched her breathe, deep at first, then slowly as though she was relaxed.

Before she could notice him, he turned his head back to the sky. Her eyes were open now, her head tilted to him as if she were contemplating to speak.

"Are we friends?" Her question caught him by surprise, but he kept his composure. _Are we?_ He wanted to say yes, but were they really? Was that a good enough term to describe their relationship?

"I guess so." Try as he may, he couldn't think of anything clever to come back with.

"I want a solid answer." She was being particularly serious in the moment, and he made sure to take note of it.

"Then, yes." He sighed in defeat, wondering if he'd regret that later. _Friends._ For some unknown reason, the word was acidic in his mind. Like it wasn't good enough.

"What would you do if someone you liked disappeared for a while, but came back?" Sadashi knew she was testing the boundaries, and that maybe he'd see through it, but it was something she constantly thought of. _Maybe I want him to figure it out already._

"She shouldn't have left in the first place, if that's the case." His thoughts went back to the wallpaper on her phone, how it was him. Right now, he wouldn't tease her. It wasn't the right time to be insensitive.

"But what if she had to?" Her voice was softer this time, not on the brink of tears, but enough to know he made the right choice with leaving the mockery out.

"If I liked her enough, I'd wait for her. As uncommon as that sounds coming from me, I'd wait. I'm not completely heartless." She didn't know what to feel, and he didn't know why he was saying anything to her. Little did they know, their hearts were traveling at the same, fast pace.

"And if you didn't?" She heard him sigh, turning her head to see his eyes closed.

"Then maybe she should have stayed so I could have."


	4. Remember Me

A week had passed, both Sadashi and Tsukki not bringing up the night of the dinner. He was normal around her, still being as sarcastic and arrogant as ever. She would win though, her sarcastic wit one upping him like nothing. Yamaguchi found it strange, seeing Tsukki back down from Sadashi as though she was a tough challenge. He never put her in her place like he did with everyone else, and somehow she always got the last word.

After weeks of her waiting after their practices to walk home, Yamaguchi brought his theory back of possibly seeing her before. The girl was working on schoolwork as the two were doing drills in the gym. Before he could mention his theory, Tsukki was the one to make a comment.

"Have you ever wondered if Akiyama seems familiar somehow?" He kept his tone steady, not leading his friend to believe he was curious in the slightest. Too bad the pinch server knew better than that, but didn't press on the topic.

"Actually, yes." He let out an exasperated sigh, not thinking his friend would have ever brought her up willingly like that. "There was a girl we were friends with back in junior high, wasn't there?" Before Tsukki could respond, one of Hinata's serves went out of bounds and hit Sadashi in the shoulder.

For some reason, anger enveloped Tsukki. Yamaguchi saw his transition, but wasn't fast enough to stop whatever rash decision his friend was about to make.

"No, it's ok. Really, I'm fine, Hinata." She repeated to the overly apologetic boy, Kageyama muttering about how much he was a dumbass. Both boys stopped short when they felt a dark aura approach them, Tsukki coming up behind them easily. "Really you two, it was hardly anything. Hey, Green Bean-"

"What the hell do you keep hanging around for?" His venomous voice broke her innocent one, her body going stiff from his outburst.

"Tsukishima..." Sugawara attempted to calm him down, but he still raged on.

"The princess, always needing an escort. Don't you know you could get hurt here?" Silence fell around the room, all except Tsukki's voice ringing throughout the gym, bouncing from wall to wall. That was when everyone's mental light bulb lit up. _Oh, that's why he's going crazy._

Yamaguchi was able to make his way to his friends, but had just fallen short of his attempts to cool him down. He hadn't seem him like this in a long time due to the fact Tsukki never cared enough to get angry.

"It really wasn't that bad." Asahi chimed in, some of the other shrugging and agreeing silently.

"Yea, we all know Hinata's serves lack power." Tanaka laughed loudly, hitting the ginger on his back like it was some joke. Hinata sank a little in disappointment.

"You being here is a nuisance. If you hadn't been sitting there, this idiot's serve would have never hit you!" Yamaguchi saw Sadashi flinch back a little, unaware that even she could be brought down from Tsukki. Hinata was still hurt on being called an idiot, knowing full well his serve was a bad one.

Yamaguchi was beginning to see more recognizable features on her, recalling a girl whom they helped in the rain. It was a few years ago, but some time after, she had transferred because the same group of kids continued to bully her. _Tsukki, no. Stop. You're making a mistake!_ But it was far too late to take back the damage he created.

Before anyone could say anything, she grabbed her things and left. She was torn down by someone whom she thought would never hurt her, but protect her. Someone she trusted more than anyone else. _I'm a nuisance?_ The thought had never occurred to her that she was in the way. The captain nor the coach ever said anything about her presence. Never has his words felt so cold before, not when they were directed at her.

"Is that anyway to treat a lady?" Nishinoya said in passing, clearly mad about what he had done to Sadashi. Tsukki stopped in his tracks, his eyes growing wide with realization. _What did he just say? Did I hear that correctly?_

"Shit." Tsukki whispered hurriedly to himself as he turned to Yamaguchi, who apparently had been keeping an eye on him the whole time. "We _do_ know her." His tone was silent as he placed his hands on the pinch server's shoulders. _What have I done?_

"I know, and I tried to tell you..." He wasn't sure what he'd do, but running out of the gym wasn't part of the list. After a few quick glances, Yamaguchi explains that they'll be back and took off after his friend. He knew the team was questioning Tsukki's sanity right now, but if they had none the grave mistake he just made, they'd understand. Running our of the gym to chase a girl he just hurt wasn't part of his characteristics list.

 _"Oi. Is that anyway to treat a lady?"_ The words had come out of his own mouth, but how could he forget? No, he didn't forget. He let go. She had disappeared just when he was really warming up to her. They were _friends,_ or at least considered them as such. _I came off as such a jerk._ He didn't mean to be so harsh with her, he just wanted to keep her from harm. It was an unknown instinct to want to keep her safe. _And this is why._ It had been so long, but he remembered that day so clearly now.

No wonder why she never walked alone. No wonder why she waited every morning to walk to school, why she waited till their practice was over. _She was afraid._ _She was traumatized. Idiot._

As if on cue, the sky started to trickle down with rain, slow at first, then harder. _Naturally._ He checked the school, hoping she would have been her usual self and waited elsewhere, but as he ran around, he was beginning to think otherwise.

"Tsukki!" His friend yelled behind him, neither of their legs coming to a halt. They ran out of the school gates one by one, the shorter of the two having a hard time keeping up. They made their way down their normal path home, their shirts soaked from the skies tears. _Is she crying too? No, not again. Please, I'm sorry._ He ran harder, praying she would be ok. That she would forgive his arrogance.

Sadashi couldn't control her emotions this time, picking her feet up a little higher so she wouldn't trip over herself. She heard noises around the alley near the little shop on the corner, but she continued on, terrified. _When was the last time I was alone?_ It was an eerie feeling, walking alone. It didn't help that it had begun to rain, not being prepared like she would have every other time. _You can do this._ She mentally motivated herself.

"It's just a girl." She heard a voice state behind her, not daring to turn around. "Hey!" Her pace quickened as the steps behind her did too. _No, not again._

 _"_ Just want to chat, girly! No need to walk home alone in the rain!" The other voice shouted, their steps sounding closer. She couldn't run as fast as everyone else, and she certainly didn't have the long legs to get her far enough away from danger.

Her wrist was yanked back, her feet almost in the air by the sudden pull. She could feel the man's grip tighten as the other caught up only moments later. "No need to be afraid." He exclaimed mildly, his smile malicious. They weren't dirty, but grungy was a good word. She could feel herself shake as the one pinned her to a wall. Her hair wasn't just damp anymore, water dripped down from her loose strands. Struggle as she may, she couldn't move.

"Now you're just pissing me off, girl." The man said, throwing his fist back and aiming at her face. She threw her head to the side at the last second, his hand crashing to the hard surface behind her.

Tsukki turned the corner, seeing a blur before him through his water-beaten glasses. _Sadashi._ She was cornered to the wall, cowering in fear. _Did he just hit her?_ He pushed himself to run faster. _I will not be late again._ A few more inches, and his body collides with the man's, sending him down to the ground. Sadashi, in the crash, slumped to the ground, Yamaguchi catching up and kneeling down next to her. Her eyes lit up for a moment, seeing her crush save her once again. _Kei..._

"Get away from her." The blond said with disgust, the two men running away probably thinking he was older than he was. Little did they know he was a first year high school student. Thankfully, there was no need for a fight. They were just idiot men.

 _I got here in time._

Breathing hard, Tsukki adjusted his glasses and looked down at the girl who was practically in a puddle with his friend. _Just like last time._ Looking at her, he noticed she was crying. It wasn't loud like it was last time, but quiet. She looked hollow, petrified. Her eyes were staring ahead of her, unblinking. His heart twisted in on itself, unsure of what he should do now. He ran all the way around the school, halfway to his house, and hadn't thought of what to do once he actually found her.

"Are you alright?" Yamaguchi asked, looking her over to see if she was wounded. Before she could say anything, a pair of arms lifted her up, her bag sliding down her arm. _She's shaking...is she cold? Distressed?_

"Tadashi, go back to school and get our stuff. I'll get her home." Tsukki started to walk away, both the boy and girl not saying anything. Yamaguchi was relieved they had made it in time this time around. Any minute later, she would have been worse off than that girl beating her up years ago.

Sadashi felt weak as she tried to keep herself calm. She had to keep reminding herself that she was alright, that the worse thing that had happened was that she'd probably end up with a cold because she'd been in the rain. Her arms tried to stay around her saviors neck, but it was a struggle with the rain and her senses. It felt like she would go out at any minute.

Tsukki's breathing returned to its normal pace, holding her close to his chest as he walked the streets to her house. Even with the cool water around them, and how long they had been in the bad weather, she was still warm. Shaking, but still warm. _That's good, right?_ He couldn't imagine what he would have done to the two males if she had been hurt. When he saw the one throw his arm back, he had thought for sure it had come into contact with her. Luckily it hadn't, or there would have been bigger problems.

He looked down to the girl in his arms, her eyes closed. She had given up with trying to keep her arms around his neck, her hands now in her lap like she was a child. _This girl._ The thought of her lying to him this long about who she was riled him up, but the thought of protecting her exceeded that feeling. It'll surface again later, but for now she needed dry clothes and a blanket. They'd be lucky if all three of them came out of this without a cold.

* * *

Sadashi woke up, her hands finding a soft material wrapped around her. The first thing she noticed was Tsukki sitting on the floor leaning against her bed, his eyes closed like he was sleeping. Looking around, it was dark, rain still coming down in sheets outside her window. Her mind found itself back near the store, how Tsukki's expression was abnormal. It wasn't like the first time when he had acted coolly in front of the girl and her friends. No, this time there was a fire that was burning inside of him, shining though his eyes.

She was still in her uniform, aside from her sweater which was strewn across the floor next to the blond. Her hair was damp now, probably needing a brush to be ran through it. _Should I wake him?_ Instead, she hoisted herself out of bed soundlessly, placing a blanket over her friend before Making her way to her bathroom. After a quick shower, she changed her clothes in the bathroom to rid her body of the cold feeling it was holding onto. She exchanged her contacts for her glasses, and made her way down into her kitchen to make some tea.

When she arrived back in her room, two cups in hand, she realized Tsukki had woken up. His look wasn't bored, sarcastic, or even mildly mocking. He looked... _bashful_. So it was possible for him to show anything else but his normal mask of indifference.

"I was beginning to think you were kidnapped." It was a halfhearted comment, no effort put behind it. The room was still dark, and he was still sitting on the floor with the blanket she had given him to stay warm.

"No, just busy doing princess things." Her reply wasn't mean, lifting the mugs as part of her reply. She sat down next to him, handing him his mug before sipping her own. He took a sip, realizing she was close enough to him that he could smell her shampoo.

"What on earth kind of princess smell is this?" He questioned, his body feeling like a blob on her floor. He felt lazy, sleep wanting to take him away again. He didn't want to leave yet, no matter how tired he was, no matter if he was still in wet clothes.

"Vanilla and brown sugar." He watched her shrug from the corner of his eye, her hand reaching to grab some of the blanket to put over her lap. He pretended not to notice they were now sharing the blanket, heat rising to his cheeks.

"Tsk. Haven't you ever heard of strawberry or something more decent?" He hated to admit it, but he actually like the scent on her. Somehow, it suited her more than the one he suggested she wear.

"Eh. I'll put that in the suggestion box and get back to you." She leaned back, closing her eyes as he just stared around her room. When he managed to bring her in, no one was home. She had been coherent enough to tell him where her key was and where her room was located. They probably left a little wet trail through the house, but she seemed to be doing better now.

He took the moment to see her in the form he was more familiar with. Her glasses were different, but still looked good on her. She had cut her hair, recalling it was to her ribs when he had last seen her. The look she had now and everyday at school made her look older, mature. Though he liked the girl with glasses and long blonde hair, he liked this one too. It was a close call, but he figured whatever form she took, he'd still like her all the same.

"Why didn't you tell me?" His mind remembered her wallpaper on her phone, now understanding how she came across it. It was right before a match back at Amemaru Middle School, and the only time he allowed to have a picture taken of him. He remembered the way she smiled and pleaded, finally caving because he couldn't stand her pleading with the tone of voice she had.

"At first, I wasn't sure if you guys would have ever accepted me again." Her reply started out simple, Tsukki not interrupting. He wanted an explanation. "It felt like us being friends was an obligation for you two. When I had noticed you were in my new class, I don't know. I figured if you didn't recognize me right off the bat, then I wasn't too important to remember."

 _But you are important,_ he wanted to say but held in. This whole time he thought he was crazy because there was only one other person who he'd let trample over his snarky comments and his heart, and it was Akiyama Sadashi.

"Tsk. Stupid." He muttered loud enough for her to hear, sipping his now cooling tea. The day she didn't arrive to class, he thought she was sick. Both Tadashi and him had tried to call her, but the line was disconnected. It was like she had disappeared altogether. The one person he wanted to let in other than his best friend, and she disappeared. It took him a while to shake off the feeling he had for her, and by the time he had started at Karasuno, he thought it was buried deep. It only took one look at her for everything to come flooding back.

"Yea, I guess it was." He snapped his head to her, not expecting her to agree. Usually she'd have a better comeback, but maybe she was feeling lazy like he was, unwilling to overexert herself in their fighting.

He flicked her forehead, much to her surprise. "You don't look cute when you pout." He didn't dare make eye contact with her then, completely aware of what he had said. It was her turn for her cheeks to grow hot, thanking herself that she had kept the lights off.

"So I'm cute?" She countered, a sigh escaping his lips and a smile he was trying to suppress.

"Not when you pout."

"But I'm cute otherwise?"

"Don't make me regret saying that, Sadashi." He snapped gently, lifting his hand and putting it on top of her head. Yes, he was aware that when they were alone, he treated her differently. Yes, he was aware that when he was with her, she won almost anything of his. Yes, he was aware that this was the girl he had liked back in middle school, and still had feelings for. Yes, he was aware that he could no longer try to push her out when she was just going to come back.

 _I'm an idiot. I should have seen the signs when I first met her - again - and put two and two together. Green Bean, the talk on the porch, how she easily put me in my place._

"Tsukki?" Leaving his thoughts behind, he looked down to her at the sound of his name. "Did you mean what you had said the other night?" Their breathing was even, the only sound being the rain outside. It was comforting, sitting with her like this.

"Depends on which part we're talking about."

He could hear her inhale, then exhale slowly. "Did you wait for her?" _Oh._ "Or were you just waiting so you could have?" _Oh._ The bad part of this was that he could tell she was serious. She didn't stutter, but he did tell her that he'd wait for the hypothetical girl if he liked her enough. He also told her that even if he didn't like said hypothetical girl, that she should have stayed so he could have. _What do I tell her? Do I lie? How does one even go about this?_

Deciding on the better answer for the current situation, he said, "Maybe she should have stayed so I could have." Maybe it was bad to say, but he wasn't ready for these feelings to resurface themselves. He had tried for so long to keep them down, to feel better about only having his best friend. He liked her, but he couldn't tell her that right now. Not when he questioned himself over and over again.


	5. Open Windows

Tsukki laid in his bed the next morning, hardly breathing and sweat emitting from his body. _Damn that girl._ Somehow he was the only one out of the three who got sick, much to his surprise. He had sent a text to Yamaguchi earlier in the morning explaining how he hated them and regretted his decisions.

 **"Yo. So I'm going to need you to come pick miss princess up for school. I've caught the plague, thanks to last nights antics."** He hit send, waiting only a few minutes for a reply.

 **"I'm actually surprised you caught a cold. I didn't, and my immune system isn't nearly as great as yours."** Tsukki 'tsked' after reading the reply. He wrote up another message.

 **"Tsk. I will end her for plaguing me."**

 **"Stop lying to yourself and get well soon. Picking her up now."**

He hit the lock button, satisfied Sadashi would have someone to walk with to school. _Since when did I become her caretaker?_ He rolled over and contemplated the evening before. No matter what he thought, it still happened. It was an awarding feeling to have gotten there before anything bad happened, remembering the feeling he got the first time. He mentally counted how many different times she made his heart skip or switch his mood completely: well over his fingers and toes.

"Tsk." He rolled over again, kicking his blankets off his body. The room made him swelter, and the wet towel he had on his forehead wasn't helping anymore. Two empty water bottles had already made their way to the floor, as he reached for his phone again. In the back of his mind, he remembered he still had Sadashi's number, unused. _Should I message her?_

Shaking his head, he put his phone back down and rolled over again, uncomfortable beyond relief. He huffed, taking his shirt off and turning his fan on. _It is too damn hot. Curse them._

To his slight dismay, his mind wandered to Sadashi back when they were in middle school. It was about the time he had mentally prepared himself to get to know her more, that maybe he could trust and believe she would stay.

The trio had done so many things, it's hard to believe he was able to keep all of it filed away in the back of his mind with a tight lock. She used to accompany them to tournaments, and work on homework with them after-school. They used to go to the park and attempt to teach the blonde girl basics on volleyball, though it seemed annoying because she really had no special sporting abilities. She had even broken her glasses at some point.

He rolled over again, laying on his back and looking up at the ceiling. The urge to talk to her was strong, but he passed it as a crazy case of his fever. Because why would he want to otherwise? That's just ridiculous.

As if her ears were burning, his phone rang, Yamaguchi's name on the screen.

"What?" He answered, his stuffy nose making him sound a world meaner.

"You seriously got sick?" Instead of his friend's make voice he had expected, it was none other than Sadashi's. _Right, she doesn't realize she has my number._

"All thanks to you, yea." He sniffed, trying to breathe in. "Shouldn't the girl be taking care of the guy? You are the reason why I have the plague, you brat."

"Well, I mean I could. We've only just left my-"

"No, never mind. Go to school. You are going to have the important task of collecting my homework and notes I'll miss out on." His mind was in shambles, practically asking her to take care of him. This fever was the real deal, at least that was his excuse.

"Oh Green Bean." He heard her sigh before speaking again. "I'll drop your things off later, ok? Just like the good girl I am." That made him want to comment something provocative, but side-stepped the thought almost immediately.

"Yes, good girl. Whatever. Good girls don't get their savior's sick, now do they?" There, that was an alright thing to say, opposed to his alternative.

"Only if they're aiming on taking care of them." She snickered, exchanging a few words to the boy she was walking with. "Well we're here, so get better. You're no fun when you're ill."

"Right, because I asked for this. Bye." He hung up without another word, but got a message from the actual boy whose name it belonged to.

 **"I happen to think you're** ** _loads_** **of fun when you're ill, Mr. I don't like Sadashi. ;)"**

 **"I don't like her. What gave you that idea? -_-||"** Tsukki hit send and waited for the reply he knew he'd get.

 **"The good girl bit was fun, I thought."**

 **"I will end you. Go to school."** Putting his phone on silent, he rolled to face the wall and fell asleep within seconds, the last thought on his mind being the blonde who lived across he street.

* * *

 _The weather was somehow perfect, going outside being a full possibility now. Tsukki had called his friends minutes before he left his house, telling them to meet at the park. For once, he was excited about being social, about going out in public. Life was starting to be more joyful, ever since she showed up. Middle school was no longer as bad as it had been._

 _When he arrived, he saw his best friend first, taking it upon himself to say hello. He stopped in his tracks when the girl showed up, neither of them seeing him. Her long hair was in a side braid, her glasses shining from the sun's rays. He couldn't care less of what she wore, but the way her hair was done differently and how her glasses seemed to compliment her facial structure put him through emotions he was beginning to understand._

 _She saw him, finally waving and sending him a huge grin. His cheeks flushed, waving to her and walking towards the two. Just as he stepped into the shade and blinked, she was gone. Looking around, he found no one but his smaller friend._

 _"What are you looking for?" The green-haired boy said, getting off of the bench he had been sitting on._

 _"Sadashi, of course. Don't be stupid." He glared at Yamaguchi, still frantically searching for her._

 _"Who?" The look was truly one of confusion, which Tsukki didn't get._

 _"She was just here." Tsukki hissed, sighing before dropping his ball and turning his back away from Yamaguchi with hopes it was a game._

 _"Tsukki, it's just me." His friend shrugged, anxiety filling the air around them. One boy knew what he saw, and the other was afraid for his friend._

 _"Green Bean!" Tsukki turned around, finding himself in the hallway at school. At first he didn't see her, but then her hair appeared from the crowd around them. This time her hair was in low pigtails, something he would have normally made fun of her for. Her glasses were broken in her hand, however._

 _"Sadashi." He sighed with relief, but was soon filled with annoyance. Someone was bullying her again. "What's wrong?"_

 _"I was tripped, and then someone broke my glasses when they fell off." She was trying to hard not to cry, and he saw it. He wanted to make it all stop for both of their sake. He couldn't take her being bullied anymore, especially to her._

 _"It's ok, it looks like an easy fix." When he looked up, she wasn't there, and his vision was blurred._

 _"Tsukki, what are you doing?" There was Yamaguchi's voice again, like an annoying alarm._

 _"Sadashi was bullied again. Someone broke her-"_

 _"Who?" His friend asked, worried that he may have a fever. He looked down at the glasses that were hers, and noticed they were his._

 _"I-" It was just like before. She was there, then she wasn't. It was really starting to tick him off, knowing he saw her, had talked to her, but then she disappeared and his friend forgot about her._

 _"Maybe you should go to the infirmary." The smaller of the two suggested, Tsukki nodding with impatience. When he walked into the infirmary, there she was with a bloody nose. "Stop leaving." He yelled with irritation. Her hair was different again, this time it being in a high ponytail, her glasses untouched._

 _"What are you talking about?" She asked, holding her nose to stop the bleeding. Her hand had dried blood on it and thought it best to clean her up. When he pulled out a wet wipe to help her out, she was gone again, and this time he was outside by the gates._

 _"What the hell?" He whispered with anger, trying to spot her again in the new scene. It seemed familiar somehow, but he couldn't put his finger on it. "Sadashi, where are you?"_

 _"Tsukki, what are you just standing there for? We'll be late!" Again, his best friend's voice sounded out, but something was different this time. He noticed the weather was cleared up, Spring coming into full motion. "Tsukki, let's go!"_

 _Then it clicked: this is when she really disappeared, when both boys had thought she was ill. His hands began to tremble as he clenched them into fists. Emotions flowed around him, anger first, then sadness, then a painful numbness. Why? Where could she have gone? He was just getting to know her._

 _"_ Green Bean?" His eyes shot open, sweat covering his body. "Hey, it's ok. No need to work up a sweat on my account." He sat up quickly, the familiar voice ringing through his ears. Adjusting his glasses to his face, he saw the girl from his dreams sitting on the side of his bed. The girl he had just had twisted memories of, the girl he never thought he'd see again.

"Tsk. What are you doing here?" She giggled at his attempt to be rude, but merely shrugged and pointed to his desk. Her hair was down today, with glasses around her eyes. Her clothes were casual, relaxing.

"I had one job, and I fulfilled it. Also, I made some soup." His eyes darted to his desk, a stack of papers and such along with a bowl of what he assumed was his soup. "Don't you know you could get worse if you have your shirt off like that?"

He had completely forgotten he had take it off, quickly averting his eyes to his phone next to him. Instead of making his usual retort, he settled for something different.

"How'd you even get into my house? No one is home." Try as he may, he attempted to keep his expression indifferent. It wasn't at its full level, but he didn't want her of all people to see through him. Not yet.

"Everyone has a spare. Plus, you never answered when I called, so I took the liberty." Her expression was so relaxed. How is that possible? He was half naked in bed sweating, and she just comes out of nowhere and isn't phased?

Well, kind of wrong. When she first entered his room, she was glad he was sleeping. Her face ran hot, seeing that his blanket was strewn across his legs like he had kicked them off. He had been clenching his fists, and after some huge decision making, she tried to wake him up.

"Whatever." His face was still hot, but he passed it off carelessly, telling himself it was his fever. "Thanks, I guess."

"I'm on my way, then. Let me know if you need anything, Green Bean." It was like she was in a hurry to leave, and she kind of was. She couldn't look at him like that any longer, realizing he wasn't the same boy he had been in middle school.

As she was off thinking about him, he was sitting there - still in a sweat - that she had changed since then too. Thinking back on her appearance, she had grown a little, and sure enough, she was right that her breast size had grown. That thought alone made his fever escalate.

"Doubtful." Yawning, she got off of his bed and placed the soup closer to him.

"Just promise to eat and get better, ok?" Her voice was quiet, making her way to the door and closing it behind her. Her heavy breathing was catching up with her now, wondering how she was able to last that long with him looking like that.

* * *

Sadashi's fingers danced across the ivory keys on her piano, the same pages she had been working on scattered around her. She felt motivated to continue the piece, still telling herself it wasn't because of the blond boy across the street. After writing down a few chords, her phone began ringing next to her. Sighing, she picked it up carelessly without bothering to look at the identification.

"Hello?" She answered, finishing the line she had composed.

 _"Hey."_ Her heart stopped, dropping her pencil on the papers. How did he get her number? She had changed it when she left their middle school.

"Who is this?" Maybe it wasn't him, and for that she needed proof. It sounded so much like him, but she just had to be sure.

 _"Did you read your caller I.D. at all?"_ He sighed over the phone, probably face-palming too. _"Never mind. Would you please open your window?"_ Though he seemed fine when he asked, she was trembling a little with how this situation was playing out. Her window? Why?

"This isn't weird to you at all?" She sat up and opened her window, looking outside to see if he was there or not. When she didn't see him, she looked across the street to someone waving from their bedroom.

 _"Not when I'm in dire need to relax."_ She watched him lay his head down on his desk, his figure still apparent through the window.

"What does that even mean? You're being more cryptic than normal." She sat back down, her hand coming down on a few random keys.

 _"Definitely not the best thing I've heard you play, but it's a start."_ There wasn't any sarcasm in his voice, and that scared her a little. It was kind of like the night they were talking out on her patio. It was another moment they'd keep between them.

"Seriously?" He didn't say anything, so setting her phone on speaker, she played a little bit of the piece was composing. "Is this really why I had to open my window?"

 _"Yes."_

"That's weird."

 _"You've said that already."_

"Am I missing something?"

 _"Only that hearing you play relaxes me."_ She heard him sigh, but it wasn't because he was agitated by their small conversation. It was something else entirely, something that gave her a little hope.

"So does this mean you're on the path of liking her?" She asked out of the blue, unsure if it was a thought or actually said aloud. Before she could take anything back, she realized the slight pause from the opposite end of the call.

 _"Maybe. I don't know. Just let me relax, Sadashi. You made me ill, after all."_ The line went dead, her brow furrowing slightly. He was across the street shaking his head between his hands, swearing up and down that he couldn't keep lying about this anymore. Then again, he had a dream that made him believe what he was doing was for the best. Her leaving was the worst thing he had ever felt, even scoring higher than what his brother had done. Then again, if he had just kept her when he could have, things could have been so different.

Both teens sat separately for the moment before her playing continued on something different. He rested his head more comfortably and let the music flow from across the street to his window. This was the moment where she decided that other song could be put on hiatus, now realizing it was going to be for him after all.


	6. Pastel Colours

Yamaguchi sat in his best friend's room contemplating the relationship between him and Sadashi. She was always with them after the business in the rain, and Tsukki had opened up to her more then than now. Now he sat on the floor trying to figure out why he didn't go back to that closeness with the girl.

"Tsukki?" He asked sheepishly, afraid to ask about him and a girl, of all things.

"Hm?" Was his reply, his head tilted over homework.

"Um...do you like Sadashi?" He came right out with it, closing his eyes hoping Kei wouldn't get mad. Peaking one eye open, he looked at the blocker.

"No." He said simply, not looking at him. _Liar._ Tsukki flipped through a couple pages before sighing.

"You're lying, aren't you?" Yamaguchi felt bold, asking like this, but he knew something was going on up in that blond mind.

Tsukki set his pencil down and turned to face the green-haired boy. His expression was blank, but there was something behind it. Something other people wouldn't normally notice.

"As suspected from someone who spends their time with me." Tsukki said absentmindedly. No argument? No sarcastic reply? Was his friend going soft? "Why bring it up now?"

Yamaguchi shrugged, not knowing he'd get this far with the topic. "Well, you guys get along well."

"That princess and I? Tsk." Tsukki rested his head on one hand and looked out his window to where Sadashi normally played piano. _He's not exactly wrong, though._

"Yes, that one. You probably never thought I noticed, but when she left, it changed you." Kei thought of his words carefully, still staring across the street. _It did change me, but only because I was changing when she was here._

"I went back to how I was before we met her." It was a simple reply, but he had to remember how well his friend was at observing things.

"Tsukki, stop lying to yourself." Yamaguchi scolded, gaining full attention from the boy sitting at the desk.

"Who said I was?" The girl had passed his mind on more than one occasion, nearly driving Kei insane. Since his feverish outburst with the window situation, he's tried to be more on guard with his feelings.

 _"So does this mean you're on the path of liking her?"_

 _"Maybe. I don't know. Just let me relax, Sadashi. You made me ill, after all."_

The way he had hung up on her that night wasn't intended to be mean. Actually, he was embarrassed. Never would he have ever said things in that nature to anyone, feverish or otherwise, yet he did. Here he thought it would be easy to keep his former feelings down, but alas, it was proving difficult.

"You can't, I don't know, give her a chance?" Yamaguchi cut through his thoughts again, making it clear he was serious.

"This attitude of yours doesn't suit you, Tadashi." Tsukki was numb, his mind going into overdrive with thoughts of _her._

"Like yours suits you?" He snapped back, gaining the attention of the blond once more. "She won't leave again." His smaller friend sighed from the floor beside him, having given up his fight.

"I never said that was the problem." Tsukki muttered with a hint of acid, his eyes back on the house across the street. It was only a fraction of it.

"Stop." Kei looked to his friend, who looked to be pouting slightly. "She left once, sure. It was for a good reason though, and you know it. We couldn't protect her all the time."

An internal 'click' sounded in Tsukki's mind at those few words. At the time, Tsukki was always a second too late. The umbrella, her glasses, her bloody noses; countless times she was already hurt before he could do anything to prevent it. _But not this last time._ But then she left like she was never there to begin with. _Just like my dream,_ he thought.

"Tsk."

* * *

Her fingers tapped on the counter gently with nothing else to entertain her. The piece she had newly appointed as Tsukki's was on a small hiatus, her mind drawing up a blank. Pretty much anything she was working on was on some sort of pause. Since that night, she didn't know what else to think.

 _"Definitely not the best thing I've heard you play, but it's a start."_

 _"Seriously?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _"That's weird."_

 _"You've said that already."_

 _"Am I missing something?"_

 _"Only that hearing you play relaxes me."_

With her hand over her chest, she recalled how it had made her feel to hear him say that. It was clear, he didn't stutter, and it almost sounded sincere. Without any luck, she attempted to keep her hopes low. Not only was he upset by her not mentioning who she was, but she had left without so much as a note; a goodbye.

Her guilt was prominent and slowly crushing her. She would have taken all of the beatings for the rest of junior high if she would have been able to be with him. Sadashi never wanted to leave.

 _"Sweetie, we think it's best if you transfer schools." Her mother had said at the dinner table one night._

 _"What? No, I'm fine." She exclaimed, griping her chopsticks tighter._

 _"Sadashi...you can't keep going through all of this. It's not healthy." Her father had agreed, shifting in his chair. "How many pairs of glasses have they broken now? How many times have you been sent to the infirmary due to some injury?"_

 _"Papa, I said I'm fine. It won't be forever." She tried again, thinking of all the possibilities she wanted to happen. Her stomach clenched in to itself, her heart crying out for comfort. She didn't want to leave them. To leave him._

 _"You shouldn't be going through this at all. No child should go through any of what you've gone through and be fine with it." Her mother's voice rose, but it was filled with sadness. There was no anger._

 _"Mom, it's ok. Really. There's no need-"_

 _"Sadashi, no. We're tired of seeing you hurt. As your parents, we're not requesting your opinion." Her father ended the conversation quickly, like he was tearing off a bandage quickly. Quick with minimal pain._

She scolded her younger self as to why she didn't fight harder. In truth, she didn't have much of a chance. There was nothing she could have said to cover on why she was fine with being harassed. And she wasn't ok with it, she just wanted her friends.

The last time she had seen either of the boys, it was at a park on the weekend. She tried to look her best, maybe to leave a good memory behind. She remembered how she had worn her pastel green sundress, her long hair braided to the side. She still had her glasses at the time, whatever pair number she was on. She remembered the way Tsukki looked at her from the other side of the tree, how she thought his cheeks went pink before he waved to her.

"Just a memory." She muttered to herself, jumping slightly as the doorbell rang. Collecting herself, she leapt up to answer the door, surprised at who was there.

"Well hello, Green Bean." Sadashi grinned widely. "And to you as well, Yamaguchi."

"Hey." Yamaguchi replied with a smile. In his mind, he was winning from an earlier conversation.

"Hi." Tsukki muttered, his volleyball resting between his arm and his side.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" It was directed more to Yamaguchi, knowing Tsukki wouldn't want to speak so much. Or that he just wouldn't, rather.

"Do people not ask others to come in anymore?" Tsukki said impatiently, shifting his weight from one foot to the next.

"Um, ok. Sure. Would you like to come in, highness?" She bowed dramatically, her arm gesturing they come in. Yamaguchi laughed to himself as Tsukki sighed with agitation.

"I'm no king." Tsukki snickered.

"Then a prince, maybe?" Sadashi shut her door as Tsukki led the way to the room with the piano.

"You haven't been playing much." He let his fingers slide against the ivory keys as Yamaguchi raised an eyebrow behind him. _What?_

"So you keep track of when I play? Who's the stalker now." She countered with a breeze, shutting the key panel so he would stop touching.

"No, I just know the difference between beautiful silence and mediocre music." He shrugged, purely testing her.

"Really? So then you telling me it rela-"

"So are we going to play, or not?" Tsukki interrupted Sadashi mid-sentence, knowing what she was going to say. _That's far enough. Can't have her saying things with him here._

Yamaguchi was too into their squabble to comprehend Kei was speaking to him. _What did Tsukishima say?_ "Oh, yea." He snapped back to reality, looking between the two with eager eyes. If he hung out with them long enough, something would slip eventually.

"Play what, exactly?" Her attention was caught on the ball in Tsukki's hands, her eyes growing wider. "No. Absolutely not. Do you not remember what happened last time?"

"Oh, I do. I was just hoping for a reenactment." His sarcasm was building more now that he felt he had the upper hand.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Yamaguchi chimed in, a smile plastered on his face. "Who knows, maybe you've gotten better with time."

"That's a laugh and highly doubtful." The male blond countered.

"For once, I'm agreeing with the beanpole." Sadashi pointed her thumb to Tsukki as his eyebrows rose with astonishment, his cheeks tinted with a little pink. Too bad Yamaguchi caught him just in time, though Sadashi probably didn't even notice.

"I don't think I like when you agree with me." Tsukki stood up and started to walk towards the front door, both his friends looking between themselves and Tsukki.

"Where are you going?" Yamaguchi asked gently, his original thoughts of hanging out would be at her house. "Are we going?"

"To your house, yea. You're the one who has a net, idiot." He tried to keep his cool, thinking of every possible reason why he wanted to walk the extra distance for something they'd more than likely stop within a few minutes due to Sadashi herself. No, it wasn't because he wanted to walk her home without his male friend. Definitely not.

"Oh, um." Yamaguchi shrugged to Sadashi as she exhaled loudly.

"Yea, I got it. Let's go." She sulked, following the boys to a house she hadn't been to in a long time. For once, Tsukki was next to her instead of ahead of her. She didn't need to keep up with him like she usually needed to.

"If you keep looking over to me, I will-"

"Trip me? I've heard it all before." Sadashi finished as she put her hands behind her head. It never failed to rile him up, but she didn't mind it. Not at all. He deserved to be shut down a few times a day at the very least, and seeing as no one else was going to do it, she took the opportunity.

"And you'll continue to hear it until you stop." He sighed in defeat, coming up short once again. It bothered him that he couldn't keep up with her like the way she did with him, and not physically walking beside him. No, in the aspect of everything combined. Somehow she was able to keep up with his fruitless efforts of teasing and mockery. That she could have a better comeback when he swore he tried is hardest. _I've never had to try with anyone else though, only her,_ he thought.

"You two will never change, will you." It wasn't a question so much as a fact. If they didn't change then, they weren't going to change now. The green-haired boy didn't mind listening to the others banter back and forth as often as they did. He knew better than anyone that it was only the beginning of something so much bigger. That'll probably be the day he'll no longer be able to handle them, if that day should ever arrive. He hoped it would, though.

"Nope." They said in unison, Tsukki's face dropping when he realized it wasn't just his voice saying it.

"Just so I don't have to agree with her, I'll say yes." He claimed dryly, though Sadashi's cheeks flushed at his words. Somewhere inside her, hope blossomed just a little more.

* * *

Sadashi rubbed her forearms as the redness became more prominent. It wasn't the worst she'd ever played, but it still wasn't pretty to watch. Tsukki snickered the whole time, refusing to help her out. Yamaguchi tried his best to explain things once again, but failed to do so when Tsukki interrupted with something negative about her not being able to do it.

"That's nothing." Tsukki sighed as they walked under a streetlight. It was just turning dark as they made their way to their street. In his eyes, he didn't want to help her so he had more to laugh at. No, it wasn't because he wanted to look and study her more. Definitely not. Just like how he didn't want his male friend to be here walking them home. Definitely not that either.

"It certainly feels like something." She murmured as he took note that her hair was down and tangled, slightly longer than when he had met her the second time. Somewhere in him he felt the urge to run his hand through her hair. He refrained, looking ahead once more.

"You weren't terrible." He dug his hands into his pockets wondering if he'd later regret his words. Somewhere in his mind, he knew he was too deep now. The more he was around her, the more he remembered how she was like a dancing light caught in a kaleidoscope. She was full of colour and wasn't afraid to share it with others, even if he thought he didn't want it.

"Stop trying to be nice, it's creepy." Her retort was short, her hands still fidgeting with her bruising forearms.

A mental light bulb lit up in Tsukki's head, flashing a sinister smile in Sadashi's direction. She didn't notice however. She was too busy trying to find her house key in her bag. _This is too easy._

"No, really. You were better than you were a couple years ago." He offered up as she finally held her keys in her hand with triumph.

"I think I just shivered." Her comment was sarcastic as she opened her door, gesturing for him to walk in. "Are you coming in or not, highness?" Instead of waiting for a reply, she left the door open as she walked to the kitchen, leaving Tsukki to wonder whether he should enter or not.

"You're alone?" Taking his shoes off and setting his ball down, he looked around only to see one light on in the while house, and that's because Sadashi turned it on herself.

"Till tomorrow, yea. My parents went to visit a relative or something." He listened to where her voice was ringing from, finally noticing her at the piano. He sat down in his normal chair and saw the girl he had first met. He took a deep breath in, seeing her glasses framed to her face and her hair brushed. Her posture was spot on, thinking he could balance a plate on her head as she sat as straight as she did.

Instead of taking her music out, she fiddled with a few scales till she finals chose one that suited her need. It was impressive to see her play something so intermediate without sheet music in front of her. Whether it was from memory or simple improvisation, he didn't care. He was fascinated even more so than all the times he heard her play.

Without a second to question himself, he got out of his comfort zone and stood over her still body, quickly setting his fingers on the keys. He began to play 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' as she paused herself to watch. She was frozen in her seat, her hands still hovering the keys she was going to play next. Both of their cheeks were red, their breathing nonexistent.

No, he didn't learn how to play all those years ago to impress her; to step foot in her world. Definitely not that.

Her head went back to hit his chest, feeling the same security she had felt that time by the bookshelf. He was in her world, after so long of waiting for the chance. When did he learn to play? Why show me now?

The music stopped, silence hugging them as each exhaled a breath they held in. Sadashi was about to say something, but Tsukki cut her off almost immediately, his hand partially over his face to hide his blush.

"I'm heading out." And then he disappeared from her sight. Before she could think properly, her phone vibrated. She noted he had just reached his front door.

 **"Be careful by yourself. If you need anything, you know where to go."** She didn't need to question what he sent, because somewhere inside her she knew what he intended, and that made her more secure than ever knowing she could go to him if she needed to.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Thanks for everyone sticking this far into my stories! Something happened with my computer, and with having it in the shop for a while I lost some files that weren't back up properly I guess, but don't fret! A new chapter for Silent Setters is in the works right now!**


	7. Confessing Minds

With time on her hands, Sadashi went to work on her piece for Tsukki. Now that him and Yamaguchi had training, she had almost nothing else to do but compose. It didn't help that she was motivated. Thanks to a certain freckled boy, she didn't feel completely alone. They talked almost all the time, and it turned out he was on her side of things.

Tsukki, as surprising as it is, talked to her too but not as much. She didn't expect a single message from him the entire time they were gone, but alas, she was proven wrong. She didn't quite mind it though. Not that she'd tell him that.

 **"Has there been any progress?"** Reading the message made her giggle, but she wrote out the reply fast enough.

 **"Nope. Then again, I'm not expecting him to physically or virtually ever tell me he misses me."** She hit send, waiting for the reply she knew she would get eventually. Yamaguchi was busy working on his serve, especially with what happened their last game. Tsukki said she wasn't allowed to go, but she still managed to sneak in from his view to see the tournament anyway. When she saw the outcome, it broke her heart. The entire team was literally crushed and on the floor with defeat. The days after were brutal too. Even Tsukki was depressed, though he showed more anger than sadness.

 **"Him texting you says that he misses you. (^_^)"** One thing she liked about Tadashi was the faces he sent. They always made her smile. Her smile grew when another message chimed in.

 **"Have you died since you don't have your entourage around you?"** She could almost hear his sarcasm even though he was miles away in Tokyo. Still, her heart thumped faster as she wrote out her reply to the tall blonde.

 **"Not since I've been in my house enjoying not having to look at your face across the street!"** It was a stretch, because she did enjoy seeing him in his window at his desk. Maybe one day she would tell him, but it wasn't this day.

 **"Because you look out the window ever."** Her phone buzzed, her eyes growing with eternal shock. Did he really notice things like that? Or was he just playing around?

 **"I do when I want to daydream. And look at the sky."**

 **"You daydream all the time, so that doesn't count. You're a natural airhead."** Was she losing? Was she going soft? Had he really been away that long that she didn't have a decent comeback? This wasn't good. This is what kept her up when she wanted to spill things.

 **"You seem to know an awful lot about me Green Bean."** _Bingo._ She didn't get a reply, and when her phone did go off, it was Yamaguchi asking why Tsukki closed his phone flustered. Good, she wasn't losing herself. Not yet. She was still able to win that portion at least.

 **"Because I'm back in the number one spot.** **＼** **(^o^)** **／** **"** Hitting send, she set her phone down and continued to compose what was going to be a masterpiece. She was already three pages in, and somehow there was the will to keep going. The inspiration the tall blond gives her is now in music to tell the tale. There would be proof of how he's made her feel through all of this.

* * *

"Nice serve!" Echoed in the gymnasium they were currently inhabiting. His ears were hot from thoughts of _her_ but it wasn't doing any good anyway. This training camp was almost completely useless. The other teams were creaming them, and his own team was tired of running up the hill with every loss.

"Tanaka!" Kageyama yelled, but when Tanaka went to spike, Kuroo blocked it perfectly and the ball was on Karasuno's side shooting past Asahi and Nishinoya.

"That's game." And so began their nineteenth run of the day. He was tired of running with nothing to show for it. It was a sport, a club. It wasn't so important to run up this hill everytime they couldn't complete an internal mission. There were other matters to think of.

When the free time was finally called, Tsukki was on his way for a shower and bed before Kuroo and Bokuto stopped him. He didn't particularly want to. Everyone else was already on high with trying to complete new moves for when they enter nationals, but it didn't matter to him in the slightest. That was until his best friend made a scene about being cool and telling a tale that was well over a long time ago.

He wouldn't admit it, but Yamaguchi made his point loud a clear, but not just with volleyball. No matter how he looked at it, there was no way he wouldn't get sucked in deeper. "Tsk." He retrieved his phone from his bag and noticed there weren't any unread messages. He sighed, typing out a reply and sending it before he could change his mind.

 **"Only because I'm letting you."**

He placed his phone in his bag once again, fearing for what he had done, and had gone back to the gymnasium where the two captains were. Maybe he could learn something new after all. It wasn't as though it wouldn't come in handy eventually. Who knows, maybe he would finally get into it. Or maybe not, but it could still come in handy.

The week was finally over, Sadashi huffing because of the heat. She was bored, and her parents weren't home. They were visiting relatives outside of town, and stupid her didn't want to go. But now she realized she was pretty much confined to the house due to her own fears of leaving it alone. For once, she was tired of playing. Everytime she tried, she searched in the room across the street for movement or even a light behind the blinds. It was silly, she told herself repeatedly. He wasn't home.

Since the last message she received, there hadn't been anymore. Not like she was wanting them, particularly. Yamaguchi was hardly sending anything too, meaning they were plenty busy. Good for them, doing something with themselves, she thought. She was there laying on her sofa watching the sun go down.

There was a tapping against her front door, her brows moving up surprise. She rolled off the sofa and walked the short distance to find Tsukki's older brother Akiteru standing before her.

"Oh, hello." She greeted as his older brother smiled back. They were night and day when it came to their attitudes. Akiteru was more bubbly and people friendly.

"Hey, Sadashi. Your parents said they weren't going to be here and told us to keep a look out, but would you like to come over for dinner? My mother doesn't want you to be alone." Everything he said was inviting, other than her parents telling her crush's mother to keep on eye on her across the street. They knew she wasn't a delinquent, so maybe it was just in case anything out of the ordinary happened.

"Oh, thank you. I'd like that. It's better than eating ramen alone." He laughed as she found her shoes and put them on. She locked up the house and walked with the older Tsukishima back to his. She was in the middle of having a mental war with herself on if this was a good idea or not. It was his house, and he wasn't home. Then again, he wasn't home and his mother invited her over.

"Pardon the intrusion." She said, taking her shoes off as Akiteru took her to the kitchen where his mom was preparing dinner. "Thank you for having me over." Sadashi bowed out of courtesy.

"It's not a problem, dear. When you're parents told me you'd be alone, I couldn't stand the thought. It's our pleasure."

"Would you like something to drink?" Akiteru asked as he grabbed a mug from the cabinet.

"Tea, please. Thank you." It was a little embarrassing to hang out with his family. It was new, sure, but she didn't want to imagine what he would say if he knew she was over here.

"You've always been so polite." His mom commented as she started to grab the plates.

"Please let me help. It's the least I could do." Sadashi grabbed the plates and began setting the table. Somehow she was comfortable, and she didn't know how. She'd been there before, but it had been a long time since.

"Your hair seems to be growing fast." His mom commented, leaving her to smile a little.

"It is, and I'm happy for it. I was happy I cut my hair, but after a while I missed its length." Before the conversation could further itself, they heard the front door open then close with a faint "I'm home" being muttered. Sadashi gulped and realized just how fast her heart started to beat. She wasn't as prepared as she thought she was.

Assuming he left his things with his shoes, he walked in scratching his head and stopping a few yards from where he noticed the girl who had infiltrated his mind all week.

"I see we picked up a stray." He scowled at her with his normal smirk. He heard his mother sigh to behave himself before Sadashi smoked in reply.

"Welcome home, Green Bean." She played, taking a seat before he scowled again and sat across from her. He tried to deny how nice it was to see her sitting there at his dining table, and how relaxed she looked. He wouldn't admit his feelings, for he still fought them day in and day out.

* * *

Tsukki had been nominated to walk her home after dinner for his comment earlier on in the evening. He pretended to mind it, though he struggled with the reality around him. He thought the week away would have helped, but it had made things that much worse.

"Would you like to come in?" Sadashi beckoned, Tsukishima blinking and seeing her door already open. Though she lived across the street, it seemed to take a lot less time than he had anticipated. Almost like he was in a daze.

"Tsk." He stepped in after pardoning himself, taking his shoes off and following her to the room with the piano. He watched her wander around picking up random sheets as he noticed and assortment of pages on the pedestal with scribbles in the margins. Sadashi noticed him eyeing the sheets with curiosity before she stepped in front of him and quickly piled them in her hands.

"Since when do you hide music?" Tsukki asked, his eyebrows raised with interest. He had always known her to flaunt her work, which is why she had many books and sheets spread across the room.

"It's just an unfinished product, that's all." She stated casually, gathering the remnants and placing them in her books for later use.

"That I can't see?" He teased, sitting himself down in the same chair he usually sat in.

"What part of unfinished did you not understand?" She asked sarcastically, siting on her bench staring at him. It was a close call, and she now felt lucky it wasn't titled yet. There would have been too many jokes for him to make if there had been a title.

Rolling his eyes, he decided to change topics. "Looks like you've been living in here." Though she had picked up a majority of the books, there were still stacks on the side table and many blank music sheets decorating the piano top. He wouldn't call it messy, but it certainly wasn't put together like it normally was.

"Basically, yea. Really into composing recently." She sighed as she began to regret inviting him in. Now he was just going to nitpick everything and question it because he thinks he can.

"Right, unfinished product." He chimed stoically, more curious than he thought he'd be. The fact she was composing something surprised him. Sure, she would improvise while she played, but she hardly wrote anything down. Something was different, now. What had changed while he was gone?

"You're unusually nosy this evening." The blonde shot back. She was growing nervous because she felt a change in him. There were the usual jabs and sneers, but he didn't seem as agitated as he normally was. What had changed while he was gone?

"Just bored, Sadashi. Why not make use of that thing?" Tsukki nodded toward the piano as she grew more and more flustered with his comments. Huffing, she spun around and pondered what scale she wanted to start out with, choosing the standard B flat major. She let her fingers glide over the keys as she waited for another smart mouth comment from the boy behind her, but nothing came. There was complete and utter silence as she played on, changing the key up one as she continued to listen to the silence behind her. It was almost deafening, she thought. There was hardly a moment when he didn't say something condescending.

Finally she took a glance behind her, slowing her tempo as she did so. To her surprise, the tall blonde had his eyes closed with his hands in his lap as his head rested on the back of the chair. He looked peaceful, vulnerable. He had the same look on his face when she peered through his window from her own and saw him at his desk. Usually he had his headphones on, but when she saw this particular look, he never had them on. Ever, in fact.

"I'm breathing, rest assured." Tsukki rolled his head forward and opened his eyes lazily, Sadashi quickly turning around to pretend she wasn't just looking at him. "Your tempo slowed."

"It happens, baka. It's improv." She muttered back, quickening her tempo once again. Her cheeks were burning with nervousness.

"Only when you're genuinely feeling something powerful." He replied dryly, her eyes growing wide as her fingers threatened to falter. Had he figured something out about her? Was he slowly finding things about her that made her tick?

"I slowed it because I felt like it, highness." She nearly spat as she changed keys again, the tempo rising more.

"Say whatever it is you'll say, but I think I've won this one." Slowly, the boy lifted himself from the chair and started to walk away. "Later." Her playing stopped as she heard her front door close, seeing him walk across the street through her window.


	8. Midsummer Dreams

It was nearing the end of summer, September in the midst. The boys were working harder than ever, the Miyagi's Spring High Representative Playoffs upon them. Even the bean pole was working harder, though whenever Sadashi commented on his seriousness, he would scoff and respond with something demeaning.

Yamaguchi was working harder than she had seen him before, always busy after practice working on his jump float serve. Sometimes he got it, sometimes he didn't. That's what the practice was for, right? Speaking of which, that's what she needed to do. She was still working on that piece she had been working on for what felt like months now. Every time she thought there was an ending in the midst, another line would be added in another key, and she threw the previous ending out the window as she continued down another path. The sheets kept piling up, and she knew at one point she would need to stop.

"Stuck in the clouds again, I see." She was pulled from her thoughts as her pen stopped moving on paper. Sadashi was doodling, something she was prone to doing when she was thinking of music.

"All the way up, as it were." She gave him an award-winning smile as he merely glared at her, Yamaguchi waving as he sat beside her. "So, any news on the serve?" She asked her freckled companion as he began explaining how he was nearly there. He seemed to really be putting his all into it, and it was relieving to hear. "And you, Mr. I'm-too-good-to-deal-with-such-trivial-things?"

"I don't need to practice anything unnecessary. It's just a sport." He shot down the conversation quickly, reminding himself that not too long ago his shorter friend had gotten into his face about the matter. He definitely didn't need to hear whatever the shorter blonde had to say. Especially from her, as it were. It was enough to think he had to deal with her on a daily basis, let alone deal with new practice routines in the club.

"Right. Well," She turned to her other friend, beginning a new topic, one he hadn't heard of yet. Usually it was the same all the way around, with those two. Now, he wasn't so sure. "You read it, right? Super great." She beamed as he nodded vigorously. _Read what_ , he thought.

"Especially the part where he jumps off that building and pulls off that combo." The male said from beside her. Tsukki hadn't noticed it till now, but he was starting to assume they talked an awful lot more than he had anticipated. _Troublesome_. "And when he threw the shards through the mist near the end? I can't wait till the next volume!"

"I'm so glad I can finally talk to someone about it. I thought I was the only one!" She seemed overly joyed, and somehow it bugged the taller one of the group. Was he being left out somehow? It certainly seemed that way. He started to fiddle with his iPod, beginning to wonder if listening to his music would be better than listening to the two across from him. He didn't need to feel left out anyway, it's not like he'd care about their conversation either way.

"Hey, Beanpole." He heard her voice, somehow feeling more annoyed with it than normal, and that was usually high as it was. When he finally looked from the tiny screen, he was stunned by how her eyes showed so much interest in what he was doing.

"And she's realized there's another." He stated blandly, huffing before unlocking their gaze to look at the screen some more. "To what do I owe the pleasure, highness?"

"Jesus, Green Bean, are you perhaps, jealous?" He dead-panned, looking up to the both of his friends, whom were looking back at him quizzically. Jealousy? Nonsense, not in this lifetime would he be jealous of the two of these idiots he called his friends.

"Not at all. I'm not interested in such trivial matters." It was a partial lie, but he planned on running with it. It wasn't everyday when he wished to be acknowledged by the girl, but he wasn't about to lower his mind into things such as manga. That was Yamaguchi's job. Then again...

"Well, fine. Have you decided on whether or not you're going to the festival this weekend?" Her eyes grew and had a glimmer of hope as he wracked his brain about what festival she could be talking about. He didn't listen to at least half of what she said on a normal basis.

"Festival?" He asked, giving a blank stare indicating that he would never go to one anyway, regardless if he remembered or not.

"Right, trivial matter." Instead on pushing the topic toward him, she directed herself to Yamaguchi, who had already began telling her that he was on board about this festival idea and just how much fun it would be if he met the rest of the team there too. _That's it, then? No pleading or begging? She's just going to leave me alone?_

"I'll go." Tsukki stated, only to be blocked out by their plans. "Tsk." He tried again, and still neither of them heard him. Finally he pretended to fiddle with his iPod as Sadashi took notice and began stopping him. "I'll go." She finally paid attention long enough for his words to reach her, only to hear Yamaguchi say how great it was that he decided on attending.

"I'm actually surprised you're willing to partake with something that doesn't deal with four walls surrounding you." Sadashi commented gently, clearly getting under his skin. It was the way she looked at him, though. Her eyes were lingering on his, just big enough to be found enticing and not annoying.

"It's not like there's anything better to do. Besides, you'll probably be kidnapped if I'm not there." He clicked his tongue, worried he was seriously losing his touch at cracking insults. His mind had been filled with so many different things, it was a wonder he was able to function. Tsukishima wasn't one for small talk, and certainly wasn't one for festivals. He would rather be caught dead, than to stoop as low as going to one of those people-infested places. It was the thought of him being left out that made him decide last minute he was going. Normally, he'd never care. He wished now was one of those moments.

"I'd be there, so there's no need to force yourself." Yamaguchi shrugged, smiling lightly as though he wasn't trying to bait his best friend. With enough force, he'd get him to be just a little more willing. _Just feel something, Tsukki,_ Yamaguchi thought.

"Please, you'd be knocked out before you could do something." The taller said coolly, officially letting his headphones hang around his neck. Sadashi noticed this and was mildly pleased at his actions. That means he was wanting to participate. She was also playing the field and was learning some very interesting facts that she was going to store for later use.

"Regardless, it'll be fun." She hummed, looking away from the taller of the two to the other, her eyes shinning. Their plan had worked, after all; he walked right into their trap.

"Don't think I'm dressing up, though. You won't see me dead wearing one." Tsukki muttered with a click of his tongue, leaning back and eyeing the girl coolly.

"Please, we didn't even think you'd join us, so what made you assume we wanted you to dress up?" The girl toyed with him, leaning her head on her hand as she gave him a devious smile. There were those eyes again, he thought.

"You are a girl, unless otherwise stated." He winced at how bad his choice of words sounded coming from his lips, finally making contact with the other male.

"Don't look at me, Tsukki. I wouldn't know if she's a hundred percent female or not." He teased, gaining a glare from the tall blond. _Just a little push is all he needs._

"I'd be surprised if you did." Tsukki stated with indifference, trying to slow his heart rate down. How in the hell did Tadashi say that so confidently? He sure hoped to whatever god there was no one had been given evidence if she were a hundred percent female. "Tsk."

"I'm wearing one, if it counts." Sadashi spoke as though the boys weren't just questioning her anatomy. It was one thing to dress up for a festival, but to do it when the boy you like is also going was a plus.

"Of course you are, highness." His tone was bored, but deep in his mind he was partially looking forward to it. What guy wouldn't look forward to seeing a girl in a yukata? "It's what _every girl_ does."

"Not every girl." She retorted, her cheeks getting red. She didn't want to admit it, but maybe she shouldn't wear one now, in spite of all things. Her pride was going to get the better of her.

"Every girl wants to dress up for a night to show off to others around them to gain attention." Yamaguchi started shaking his head slowly at what Tsukki was saying as he watched the girl carefully unfold in front of him. He knew better, though; she wouldn't back down from something like that.

"Ok." The girl shrugged, quickly grabbing a stray strand of hair and putting it behind her ear. Then it was settled. She wouldn't wear one to the festival. In reality, the bean pole was right; she wanted his head to turn in her direction, if she could be so lucky.

"Tsk. Right." His eyes rolled, contemplating following through with his music before class was to resume. To him, the conversation was dying out. Yamaguchi, on the other hand, was looking to Sadashi was a questioning gaze that she didn't return.

* * *

Sadashi stood in her room trying to make one of the tougher decisions of being a teenage girl: to wear the yukata, or not. On one hand, she really wanted to be the generic girl who dresses up and looks cute in front of the boy she likes. On the other, she had her pride to consider. It was definitely a pain to listen to him talk as if he knew it all, but she didn't want to fall into that pit. "Ugh." Her body hit the bed swiftly, her hair cascading around her as she looked to the ceiling. This was a big moment in her life that maybe won't be as big later on if certain things didn't happen. Regardless, she wanted it to be memorable.

Finally coming to a decision, she quickly dressed and readied her hair accordingly. If she was going to do this, then it had better be presentable. Before skipping out of her room, she looked towards her reflection one last time. _Should I wear my glasses?_ It was definitely tough being a girl.

Tsukki waited with bated breath as he knocked on his neighbors door once again. How many times had be pounded on the door now? Too many, he thought. His sigh fell through his lips, wondering what the hell he was even doing. He was preparing for an evening entirely out of his element all for a girl who he wished he cared less about. Before he raised his hand to pound on the door again, it finally fell open to reveal the said girl.

To his utter dismay, she was in standard skinny jeans with what looked like a band's t-shirt that she had tied near her left hip, exposing just the right amount of skin. However, when he was walking over to her home, he was expecting a small blonde girl wearing what he assumed would be a subtle pastel-colored yukata. Not that he was making fantasies. Never.

"Ready?" She perked up at the sight of him, a scowl going across his face instantly. It wasn't like he wasn't just standing here for ten minutes waiting for her to open her damn door.

"It took you so long to get ready just to put on _that?_ " To say he was angry was an understatement, though he couldn't quite tell the girl as to why that was so. "It looks like you're going out for an ordinary day." He glowered at her not too discreetly. The only possible good point in this outcome of her choice of apparel was that she wore her glasses. It was like seeing a memory.

She was surprised by his tone, taken aback even. Sadashi didn't expect Tsukki to make such a fuss about what she was wearing and why. Then again, he could just actually be mad because she took so long in just deciding what to wear. It was a typical male thing. "Well, it is an ordinary day, baka." She kept her tone light as he was about to pop a blood vessel on his forehead.

"It's a festival, isn't it? Aren't you supposed to be dressed up like a doll for everyone to marvel at how cute you are?" He broke one of his own rules, but tried to cover it up. "It's what every girl does, so I sure as hell thought you'd follow along." Luckily the sun was on the verge of setting, an orange glow pressing against his already red cheeks.

"Well, I guess you're technically right," She started, keeping the fact that his slip-up was apparent. "But I didn't want to hassle myself with such nonsense." Tsukki watched her shrug with a carefree smile as his face went from partially curious and annoyed to just plain vexed. This whole time he was secretly wishing to see her dress like a doll, but she went on to doing the complete opposite, which was technically what he said she should do with a lack of words.

Their phones vibrated, each taking the moment to look at the new message then each other. Somehow she knew this was bound to happen, but Tsukki officially looked like he was going to start screaming.

"So I guess he's not feeling well?" They had received the message from Tadashi saying he was unwell, but both knew better; he was playing them. When Tsukki got a hold of him, he'll regret ever thinking of this scheme in the first place.

"Are you really going to believe that, or are you just that dense?" Sometimes she wondered if he had a permanent scowl to his face, but knew that he was still too young for such things. It was possible, but not his day in age. Besides, she knew the green-haired boy was going to do this, not like the raging teen beside her needed to know that detail.

"If it's what he says. Besides, I'm certainly not going to let it ruin my time. Are you?" She poked his cheek as he continued to glare at her, his eye twitching with what felt like anger. As it sank more into his mind, he realized he was alone with her again. Something he tried to stay away from but knew deep down he wanted as well. It was starting out as a nightmare, but maybe he could hope for something to put him out of his misery. Half of him wanted to turn around and go back home while the other half wanted to see how this would play out.

Upon their arrival, Tsukki was starting to doubt his earlier thought as he watched more than enough people walk around, if he could call it that. It didn't seem like there was enough room to walk as random groups would stand in the way while others slid past them to venture on down the line of booths. It was a madhouse, he thought.

While he was thinking he wanted to leave, he glanced down at the girl beside him and stopped. Her eyes were wide with curiosity, like this was something entirely new to her. He watched her smile grow as the seconds ticked by, his heart calming down with his past anxious thoughts. One way or another, he wanted to make this night memorable. This could be the last chance he'd get if she disappeared again.

"What are you eyeing?" He bent down to her level, trying to get into her perspective but failing miserably. Is this how it really was for her? He could hardly see anything in her line of sight, and it troubled him. Standing up, he looked around and grabbed her shoulder as she was taken from her moment of being awestruck.

"What-" She started, but was cut short as he lifted her up onto a railing so she could get into his perspective. At first she was puzzled, but then sucked in her breath as she overlooked her surroundings. It seemed a little bit brighter with the lights more eye level then them beaming down onto her. She was able to overlook the crowd and actually read the different signs from afar instead of making the attempt to walk to every different booth to see what they had to offer. Earlier, she had heard music, but couldn't tell where it was coming from; now she could see exactly where it was. "Tsukki, is this how it normally is for you?"

"After I saw what you normally see, I felt bad for you. Your world would give me claustrophobia." He kept his tone light as the girl ogled at the world around her. So he had done a good thing, not like he was keeping track. He just felt bad for the lesser being, is all. She stared wide-eyed a while longer till she noticed he was getting impatient. They continued their journey by walking around and stopping at different booths she now knew the location of and ate in almost silence. Tsukki remained quiet, but Sadashi wouldn't stop talking depending on what the topic was. He had it mapped out by now; food meant excess talking, and scenery meant silence because she was too busy taking it all in.

"I think the fireworks are going to start soon." She said to no one in particular as he glanced around and noticed different groups and couples taking up residency in different spots on the grass. He had been trapped in his mind again. This person beside him set him up, he just knew it. As if it wasn't worse, his other best friend definitely set him up, but she probably did too. The blond had finally come to the conclusion that she wore street clothes because of his comment the other day. To further prove his theory, he had taken extra care in noticing her look around at the other girls wearing their yukatas with their hair done up. _Stupid._

When they had found a spot within eye-shot of their anticipated view, he finally spoke up. "Why didn't you wear a yukata?"

"Because I didn't want to deal with the hassle." She said nonchalantly as she brought her knees to her chest. Why was he asking all of the sudden?

"Liar." He partially spat in her direction.

"Ok, fine. Why did you get my attention the other day by putting your headphone on? You knew I'd talk to you if I noticed." She shot back playfully, this time her eyes locked on him. She saw that? He thought he was being clever in that particular moment, but instead she had tested him like he thought he was testing her. She really was too good.

"Tsk. That doesn't give me a real reason as to why you chose a shirt over the latter." It was dark now, everyone just waiting for the show to begin as these two just bickered between themselves.

"Because I didn't want you to see me like every other girl, all right? Are you happy now?" She discarded her glasses long enough to rub her tired eyes before she placed them back on her face. He stared at her, knowing he knew the answer, but felt a tinge of guilt because he was right about it.

"You at least did one thing right," She glanced over to him as he paused, knowing he was stepping on a potential landmine. "You wore your glasses for a change." Sadashi was about to speak, but he continued on like his heart wasn't on fire right now with how fast it was beating. "And for the record, you're not like every other girl." She was almost hopeful now, wondering if he was going to be heartfelt in this little heated moment of theirs. "You're much more annoying."

He grinned down to her as her cheeks puffed up in embarrassment. "Yea, well you still hang around me." His mind clung to her words as the first firework went up and exploded above them. Her attention was no longer on him, but on the sky. Why did he hang around her? It was true she was annoying, but he couldn't keep denying his feelings. He was here with her, wasn't he? Had he not shown her his world earlier? If he really felt annoyed and uncomfortable, he'd have turned back long ago, or not even left his house.

"You're right, I do." He whispered as his eyes weren't on the sky, but on her. She was a beautiful mystery, but one he wanted to know more about. She was annoying, but also very caring in her own ways. Though the thought of her disappearing was still nagging his mind, he wanted to cling to little moments like this for reasons he didn't know himself. If it was a dream, then at least it would have a favorable part.


	9. Past Thoughts

Tsukki sat at his desk staring at the house across the street. For once, he couldn't believe that he was foolish enough to leave the comfort of his own home to go to a festival. _That he had fun,_ no less. Granted, it'd have been completely different had his other friend joined their group-because he knew damn well he lied and was, in fact, at the festival with probably the team-but he was happy that the strange turn of events didn't leave him under a dark cloud all evening.

Speaking of which, he hadn't planned on a few moments last night that he secretly enjoyed. Showing her his word wasn't planned, but was definitely on the list of better things in his life. The other being the fireworks display; he didn't expect to learn how Sadashi observed him to the point he called some of his bluffs. Then again, he had called hers, too. He couldn't decide in the depths of his mind if he wasn't getting ahead of himself or not. He didn't _want_ to feel any of this, but it was coming down to the point where he didn't have much of a choice. It had already been a couple months, and somehow she hadn't disappeared yet. Maybe she really was here for the long run.

As he moved his arm, it hit something that almost fell to the floor. Usually his desk was more on the cleaner side, but this particular object was something he hadn't expected to hold onto.

 _"Ah! Tsukki look!" The girl yelled frantically, managing to be heard through the crowd. He could see the general direction her eyes were facing, but it was the point of her finger that landed him on a mask stand a few meters away._

 _"No." He said shortly, scowling to the girl as she jumped up and down beside him. "Did you not hear me?"_

 _"Oh, come on! Just this once." She smiled excitedly, basically trapping his decisions in a corner as he gave her those eyes he tried saying no to but always lost to. It was the gleam of her eyes, the innocence filming the front as he knew better that there was a deep backdrop behind it._

 _"Ugh." He had given up without another word, knowing the team wouldn't hear of this, especially since he wouldn't be telling his green-haired companion any detail of tonight. Partially because he knew she would spill it to him, but also because he didn't want to give anyone the satisfaction of this evening altogether._

 _"Was that so bad?" She playfully smacked his arm, sliding her mask to cover a portion of her face. "You won't wear it?"_

 _"Do I have to? Buying it was bad enough." He sulked, immediately glancing between the mask and her. His energy was running out as hers was just growing. Still, she looked up to him almost pleading. "No." He started walking again, making her catch up quickly._

He sighed, picking the stupid mask up and holding it as he remembered that just last night he had done more foolish things than he had accumulated in his life. His internal meter of patience had long been since drained, and finally at the end, he caved. His bed was calling him, his feet ached, and he was willing to do anything just to go home.

 _"Tsk." He slid the mask partially over his face, bent down to her height, and quickly snapped a photo with his phone just as she smiled upon realizing what was happening. "There. I'm going home."_

 _"Make sure you send it to me!" She screamed loudly, but it emanated with her smiled as he continued to his door to unlock it. His heart was pounding, knowing he crossed another line. When he was with her, he made stupid, out-of-this-world decisions._

Sliding his phone out of his pocket, he looked at the picture and sighed. There wasn't a smile on his face, but the fact there was on hers is what satisfied him. Her mask had feathers on it, much like ones off a peacock whereas his was a standard and less original fox mask. Otherwise, plain. It wasn't flashy, it didn't scream at people as they walked by, it was just your typical mask.

 **"I thought you were going to send me the picture?"** A message had come from the devil herself as he stared across the street again, trying to spot the girl in her favourite room of the house.

 **"I don't remember saying such things."** It wasn't a lie. He never agreed to ever sending her the picture. The girl actually never received an answer last night as she yelled from across the street.

" **You are so rude!"** Tsukki snickered at that. Was it rude? He didn't care either way, but it was amusing for her to think as such.

 **"There's no proof , now."** Her reply wasn't as fast as the others he had received, but she was probably still trying to figure out what he meant. Setting his phone aside, he stretched back and thought about what to do with the rest of his time. No school, no practice, and no more trips to the festival. His house wasn't completely his for the time being, but he did have a enough reason to veg for the rest of the afternoon. Last night was exhausting, and having to deal with the energetic ball from across the street was even more so.

 **"Why do you hate me?!"** He smirked, wondering when his game would finally come to an end. After knowing her for so long, having these feelings he wished he didn't have, when would time finally come to an end? Not like death, but the close proximity of it. Falling in love was similar to death, but only if the love portion is ripped out.

 **"Hate is too strong of a word, Akiyama."** He replied, staring at his phone long enough to know her response would be quicker than the last. _Too quick,_ he thought.

 **"You're right, because hate is the opposite of love."** His eyes widened at that, wondering what she was getting at. Then it was slowly coming to him, but he shook it away to play the dense role. Maybe she was just fooling around.

 **"Is there a point, highness? Or are you done ruining more of my weekend."** Hitting send, he waited patiently, his eyes moving to her home once again to see if there was a sign of life through the window he figured she was near. Still nothing, of course.

 **"Well, you said hate was too strong of a word. Since it's the opposite of love, are you telling me you love me?"** He vividly winced, almost dropping his head onto his desk in partial disgust. Somehow this conversation became twisted and full of nonsense that he almost didn't want to respond further. Though, he knew right away that if he didn't, it would be a win on her side and he couldn't possibly live with that.

 **"I don't remember saying such asininity."** Cheeks heating up, he pushed his chair back and closed the blinds on his window. The more she responded, the more he would look to her home across the street. The more he searched for her through the window, the more he hoped she would appear. Before he couldn't control himself further, he sat on his bed and laid back. Though he had hoped for the girl to wear a yukata the day before, he wasn't too displeased with the outcome of her clothing choice. The way her jeans hugged her thighs, and the way her shirt was tied at the hip, it sent chills down his spine. And her glasses, he couldn't forget those. It had been so long since she had seen her in glasses that it sent more thoughts of her his direction.

"Stupid girl." He spoke out to his room, taking his own glasses off and covering his face with his arm. When had this crush even happened? How did it blindside him? He was so sure he was careful enough back then to not get any ideas, yet somehow they still crept up to him until it was too late and she was gone. It definitely wasn't the time he had saved her from those horrible girls, and definitely not the time they sat and played games at Tadashi's house.

There were so many memories he had locked away, to never think of again for this exact moment. He remembered each time she would appear before him with another bloody nose or broken glasses, and how it made him feel. He could never understand why she was targeted the way she was, but somewhere he felt in his heart he wanted to help her. _Wanted?_ More like needed, in a strange way he couldn't understand.

Then there were all of the times he would try to get her to toss a ball to them but failed miserably. He had laughed in a mocking manner, but deep down he was happy to see her having fun and smiling. The one time he knew his feelings had finally surfaced enough to the point he couldn't ignore them, was when he saw her that day at the park. Her hair used to be so long, and this was at a time when she was a few centimeters shorter than she was now. This was the day he knew he couldn't keep anything suppressed anymore. It didn't hit him like a train, like it was described in movies. There weren't any butterflies in his stomach like it was explained in mangas. It was actually calming to him in a way, like breathing; it came naturally to him. Like fish in water, or strawberries and cake.

Tsukki huffed audibly, giving up against his own moral and looking through his window another time, still not seeing the small blond. To be fair, he didn't even know if she was home, but that didn't stop him in the slightest. It should have, and he knew that, but it didn't matter in this small moment.

Thinking back, there was a particular day that stuck in his mind that he almost cursed himself for forgetting. He had gone to look for her because she was late coming to break. She had been playing the piano, repeating the same lines over and over again until they burned in his memory. He could still hear the keys pressing down now, even.

 _Damn, where is that girl? Tsukki thought, annoyed as he rounded the corner again. He had told Yamaguchi that he was going to get drinks, but in reality he wanted to know where Sadashi was. She wasn't normally late for lunch with them. Rounding another corner, he heard distant playing, finally following the sounds until he stood outside the music room. Looking through the widow in the door in front of the class, he could see a little blond head bobbing slightly up and down to the music. He had to hand it to her, she was brilliant when she sat behind a piano._

 _Instead of spying on her, he waited against the wall, still listening to the music flow through his ears. Once she felt those couple lines were better, she started playing from what he thought was the beginning, so as to make everything fit perfectly._

 _Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a girl enter the room from the back door, since he was standing right next to the front door. Assuming she was part of the class, he didn't think anything of it until Sadashi's playing was stopped abruptly. Furrowing his eyebrows, he strained his ears to listen._

 _"Ya know, just because you play the same line over and over again, doesn't mean you'll get any better." The girl said with a tone like acid. It made his skin crawl, but he remain where he was._

 _"Practice makes perfect, right?" The small blond said in what felt like an even smaller voice. She was never one for confrontation, which is one of the reasons she was bullied so often._

 _"Unless you're just born with talent, which I don't think you were." The first said, almost spitting the words out like it was a game. Tsukki's blood was beginning to boil until he heard his friend speak up again._

 _"I'd say I have a little more than you seeing as you're only second chair." At first he couldn't believe his ears, but there it was, plain as day. She was sticking up for herself in a manner Tsukki was used to; with sarcasm. He didn't know whether he should be proud, or very worried for her. She couldn't just let people cower in front of her like he could, especially since she didn't have the height either!_

 _"Not unless there was an accident." Coming to his senses, he heard a small cry in the empty room, the girl walking out of the door quickly. She was startled to see him standing so close to the door, almost like he had heard everything. Turning to leave, he quickly stopped her with words that pierced through her:_

 _"Let's hope there's not an accident." Her eyes caught his, hers going wide before she stumbled down the hall and out of his sight. When he had turned around, Sadashi was just exiting the room, a smile on her face when she saw him._

 _"Hey, sorry I'm late! I was practicing and lost track of time." Though her smile looked sincere, he knew from the bottom of his heart it wasn't. When he looked down, she was holding her hands to her chest as if they were hurting, but he didn't press on the matter. His main concern was that she was starting to stand up for himself._

* * *

Sadashi lazed around in her room, unaware the boy across the street secretly looking for her through his window occasionally. Her mind was in a blur after last night, and though she was happy with how the evening had turned out, she was almost desperate to get the picture that Tsukki took of them. Aside from that, she didn't even have proof that he put the damn thing on to begin with, let alone that he was even with her last night. All she had was Yamaguchi's word, but she knew Tsukishima would deny it at all costs.

Sighing, she looked at her phone that she had thrown across the bed the previous hour due to mild irritation. He wasn't playing fair, like always, and she was wondering what she would have to do in order to turn the tides. Looking between her mask, and her window, her mind decided that it was best to let out the irritation with some music. She needed something to keep her thoughts at bay.

Once downstairs and in her music room, she glanced at the window before removing the panel that protected the keys. Though she knew he wouldn't willingly look from his window to hers, a girl could only hope as she set to work exercising her fingers. After a few warm up scales, she set to work on choosing one and took off with whatever rhythm came to mind. It started slow, then turned into something more bouncy and cheerful, her mind thinking of last night. The lights, the food, the fireworks, and more importantly her company.

After repeating a phrase, she let her mind wander to past years when she first acquired feelings for the tall blonde. He was rude to so many others, but he had been so nice to her on so many occasions. It almost felt unreal to know he had that side to him after seeing him now. In the pits of her heart, she couldn't decide it was her fault, though. Who knows what happened after she disappeared? Certainly not her, seeing as she left without a word to either of the boys.

She remembered a distinct day when she was in the music room fiddling with the school's piano, waiting a few more extra minutes after class to perfect a couple lines before she'd meet with her friends. She played the same couple lines over and over again till they were finally in her fingers memory, finally doing a quick run-through of the piece before she'd close up.

 _"Ya know, just because you play the same line over and over again, doesn't mean you'll get any better." Someone said, coming from the back door of the room and appearing a few meters in front of her. It was a girl who played violin, second chair. Sadashi swallowed, though her mouth went dry._

 _"Practice makes perfect, right?" Sadashi replied stiffly, trying to smile to indicate that she didn't want any trouble. All she wanted to do was practice a little more before she headed off._

 _"Unless you're just born with talent, which I don't think you were." The girl pointed to her, making Sadashi feel small. Instead, she turned that feeling around and looked the girl in the eyes._

 _"I'd say I have a little more than you seeing as you're only second chair." Soon after she spoke, she knew it was a bad idea, but she was tired of the boys always to be the ones to help her out. She didn't want to feel defenseless forever. Rage filled the girl's eyes, however, a sneer soon following._

 _"Not unless there was an accident." The girl said, and in a quick movement she pulled the key cover violently down onto Sadashi's fingers. She yelped in pain as the girl shrugged with a quick smile and walked out, Sadashi quickly trying to ease the pain in her fingers and gather her belongings before her friends worried._

 _As soon as she left the room, her fingers close to her chest, she saw Tsukki with a few drinks. Immediately a smile formed between her cheeks like nothing was wrong, which wasn't completely wrong; he was there, after all. The one person she wanted to see._

 _"Hey, sorry I'm late! I was practicing and lost track of time." She kept her voice composed, though it was more genuine than she thought it would be. Knowing he was there, it made her feel better than she was a few moments before._

It was nearing twilight now, neither knowing what to do. School was tomorrow, and all of their studies were done until more would be added. An endless cycle, though they were on each other's mind. Sadashi, with much internal discussion, decided it was time to ease away the weekend with her hands dancing across the familiar keys. Tsukki, having eaten dinner and extended his social activity with his family for the day, wound up at his desk looking across the street once more. The room was still dark, though he knew that didn't mean she wasn't there. She normally played in the dark, sometimes with a little light on over whatever she was writing down.

When he first heard the sound, they were soft and quiet. Leaning his head against his head, he closed his eyes and simply enjoyed the last of his Sunday before he went off to bed for practice the next morning.

She glanced across the street, seeing his lamp light on at his desk, the familiar figure sitting as a silhouette. It was comforting to know the other was there, but still at a distance from an actual disturbance. Nothing was more pleasing than this moment of past thoughts, and future ones.


End file.
